


Keep Evolving

by brightpinkballerina



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Champions League, Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, The Elite Four (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:16:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23398333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightpinkballerina/pseuds/brightpinkballerina
Summary: Now a young adult, Ash finds himself as the newest champion of the Indigo Conference, ready to challenge the Champions League. Simultaneously, Misty is being recruited to join the Elite Four. As Ash slowly begins to realize his feelings for Misty, she fears how her potential new position might hurt their relationship.
Relationships: Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Kenji | Tracey Sketchit/Sakura | Daisy
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so excited to share this new story with you all. It's one I started working on a few weeks ago, and was going to wait on sharing for a while, but considering everything that's going on in the world right now, I figured I would begin sharing it in the hopes of bringing everyone some much needed distraction. I know that writing and reading stories during this unprecedented time has brought me a lot of joy, so I hope that reading this will do the same for you all!
> 
> This story was inspired by the ending song from Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution. It's very beautiful, and listening to it while the gorgeous painted portraits of Ash, Misty, and Brock made me super emotional and inspired me to write something. Each chapter's title (with the exception of the prologue, of course) are lyrics from the song itself.

_“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the Indigo Plateau Conference! This has been a tournament full of thrilling battles, and we expect another one here for you this afternoon to close things out. Today’s match up will be between Raphael Tovia of Vermilion City and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!”_

Misty clapped along with everyone else in the stadium, but instead of her eyes being glued onto the battlefield down below, they were wandering around the stands.

“There sure are a lot of people here,” she remarked, sounding quite impressed.

“Of course, it’s the League finals!” Brock crowed, gaining Misty’s attention. “It’s only the biggest battle event in the Kanto region.”

“Well yeah, I know that,” Misty sighed, finally looking down at the field. “I just can’t imagine battling in a huge stadium like this, with so many people watching! I feel like I’d be _so_ anxious. Then again, Ash seems to thrive in this kind of environment.”

Brock chuckled lowly. “Something tells me you’re more nervous for _him_ than he is for _himself_.”

Misty scoffed, but didn’t deny it. The fact of the matter was, she’d had a crush on Ash for years. She was pretty sure Brock knew that, although they’d never actually discussed it, which was fine by Misty. This battle today, however, was a very big deal for Ash. It could make or break the dreams Misty had known he had since they met at 10 years old. They were now 21, and before this tournament, Ash had expressed his fears to Misty that this could be the end of the line for him in terms of those dreams.

_“If I don’t win now, I don’t know if I ever will,” he’d admitted on a cool night outside of the Cerulean Gym. “I’m not sure how many more times I should try.”_

_Misty was shocked by that admission. Ash was always so confident, and he never gave up. She had always just assumed he’d keep on going, even if he failed. It was what he always did, after all._

_“Well, don’t go into it thinking like that,” Misty gently scolded him. “You’ve been training with your Pokémon for so long…as long as you all believe in each other, there’s nothing you can’t do!”_

_Ash blushed at this, although Misty wasn’t able to see it in the dark. “Thanks, Mist. I appreciate it! I just…hope that’s enough.”_

_“Of course, it’s enough!” Misty cried. “Come on, Ash, this isn’t like you. There’s no reason for you to start doubting yourself all of a sudden.”_

_“It’s been 11 years,” Ash snappily responded. “This isn’t all of a sudden.”_

_A slightly uncomfortable silence settled between the two. Fortunately, they had been friends long enough where such a thing wasn’t really enough to deter either of them or cause any serious upset. Smirking to herself, Misty turned her head to look at Ash, her sea green eyes glinting in the moonlight. It was just enough to cause Ash’s heart to skip a bit, though he had no idea why._

_“Then don’t let it go any longer than this,” Misty decided. “You go out there and you win every single battle that comes your way. Don’t let anyone stop you.”_

_It was such a simple directive, but adrenaline was suddenly coursing through Ash’s veins. It was like he could hear the crowd around him…like he could sense exactly what was waiting for him once he entered that stadium. Suddenly, any fears or doubts he had were gone, and all Ash could think about was achieving his goal, once and for all.  
All because of Misty’s encouragement._

_“I will,” Ash breathed, slowly nodding his head as a big smile broke out on his face. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do! My Pokémon and I are gonna battle together until the very end!”_

_Misty giggled and tilted her head back, though she kept a sideways glance on the young man sitting beside her. “There’s the Ash I know!”_

She was glad she had been so poised back then, because now she felt like she was about to crawl out of her own skin.

“Oh, look! Here comes Ash!”

Misty was jolted back into reality by the shrill cry of Ash’s mother. Delia was sitting on Misty’s other side and had whipped out a digital camera at some point. She was holding it up to her face, snapping away as the crowd went wild. Down on the field, Misty could see Ash emerging from the farther tunnel, Pikachu dutifully sitting on his shoulder as the two of them waved to their enthusiastic audience. Giggling to herself, Misty rested her head in her hand, watching as he made his way to his designated box.

“Come on, Ash,” Misty muttered to herself. “Don’t let anyone stop you.”

Her phone suddenly started to buzz in her pocket, causing Misty to straighten up. Brock noticed this and raised an eyebrow, asking, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just my phone,” Misty grumbled, shaking her head.

“You don’t want to see who it is?” Brock questioned.

“No,” Misty quickly refuted. “Nothing is more important right now than Ash’s battle. Whoever it is can wait.”

Ash’s opponent Raphael had now taken his place across the field from the raven-haired man. His back was to Misty, but on the stadium’s big screens, she could see the smug look on his face, setting off a fire in her stomach.

 _Do_ not _let him stop you._

Ash, however, was not afraid. Instead, he challenged Raphael with his own smirk before reaching to his waist, Pikachu knowingly hopping off of his shoulder and onto the ground.

“Charizard, I choose you!”

The flame Pokémon burst forth from his poke ball, letting out a ferocious roar before blasting a flamethrower into the air.

Raphael was unaffected by Charizard’s bravado and pulled out his own poke ball, flippantly pushing its center button to enlarge it.

“Blastoise, let’s go!”

Charizard’s water type counterpart appeared across from him, eyes narrowed as the cannons in its shell extended outwards. 

“Ah, a showdown between the fully evolved forms of two Kanto starter Pokémon!” Professor Oak marveled from Delia’s other side. “An interesting matchup to start the battle indeed.”

“Except Blastoise has the advantage,” Brock mused, scratching his chin.

“It doesn’t matter,” Misty quickly refuted. “Charizard is one of Ash’s strongest Pokémon! He can take on Blastoise with no problem.”

The referee looked between the two trainers and held his arms up, screaming, “Ash will have the first move. Battle…begin!”

* * *

It was impossible to see anything on the field thanks to the thick cloud of dirt floating around it other than the occasional residual sparks of electricity.

Ash and Raphael were both down to their final Pokémon, and neither side was giving an inch. Misty waited with bated breath, terrified by what she might see once the dust finally settled.

She would soon find out, as the battlefield started to come back into view. Misty leaned forward in her seat, her heart pounding in her ears. The view down below quickly became clearer and clearer, until finally, she could see Raphael’s Umbreon sprawled out on the ground, a battered and exhausted Pikachu standing over it.

The referee waited a few seconds before throwing up his left arm, calling, “Umbreon is unable to battle; Pikachu is the winner! Which means the victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!”

The crowd erupted into fervent cheers, while the stadium announcer shouted, _“he’s done it! Ash Ketchum is your new Indigo Plateau Conference Champion!”_

Everyone around Misty had jumped to their feet, but she was still sitting down, feeling frozen in shock. She simply watched with her mouth hanging open as Ash ran towards Pikachu, scooping the tired Pikachu up into his arms and holding the mouse high up above his head.

It wasn’t until Ash approached Raphael to shake his hand that Misty had enough mind to stand up, though she still looked positively stunned. 

“Can you believe it?” Brock asked her, having decided to wait until she joined him on her feet. “Ash did it! He really did it!”

Misty watched the scene down below; Ash and his defeated challenger speaking words of encouragement to each other before breaking apart, with Raphael headed back to the locker room while Ash and Pikachu waved fervently to their adoring crowd.

At long last, all of her senses came back to her, and she smiled confidently at Brock.

“Of course, I can believe it. No one was going to stop him this time.”

* * *

In the bowels of the arena, Ash found himself sitting in front of a sea of reporters, cameras flashing all around him. It had been disorienting at first, especially after the big award ceremony on the field; he was slowly beginning to get used to the chaos, but it still felt like an out of body experience.

Pikachu, on the other hand, was quite enjoying all of the attention. He was more than pleased to pose for photographs, earning the adoration of all the photographers around him.

“This doesn’t phase you, huh?” Ash playfully asked his partner.

“Pi,” Pikachu refuted, shaking his head.

Ash chuckled at the mouse’s pride. “Well then, everyone just might like you more than me! This is all still a little strange…”

“Attention, everyone! Quiet, please!”

Ash blinked and leaned forward in his seat. A woman had stepped up to the podium in the front of the room, with stick-straight honey blonde hair and dressed very professionally. Ash didn’t recognize her from anywhere…at least from the back or the sound of her voice. He could only see her face reflected in some of the nearby camera lenses, but it wasn’t a clear enough view for him to point out any other specific features.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Zanna Zupan, Charles Goodshow’s executive assistant,” she continued once the room had fallen silent. “I know you’re all eager to ask our newest Indigo Conference champion all of your pressing questions, but before you do so, I would like to outline the next steps of our champion’s quest so you may all ask the most relevant questions.”

Right outside of the press conference room’s doors, Misty raised an irritated eyebrow as her phone began to ring again. “Next steps? What does she mean by that?”

“I believe they usually offer the regional league champion the option of moving onto the Champions League,” Brock responded before glancing down at Misty and pointing towards her pocket. “You’re sure you don’t want to answer that?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Misty tersely replied, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s not important right now.”

“That’s what you said before,” Brock chuckled.

“Right, and it wasn’t important then either,” Misty calmly reminded him. “Voicemails exist for a reason, you know.”

Smirking, Brock quipped, “you sure are touchy when it comes to anything involving Ash today. You know if you miss a minute of his press conference, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, right?”

Misty whipped her head around and glared at Brock, who laughed nervously and started to sweat a bit. She was quickly distracted, however, when Zanna began speaking again.

“As many of you know is traditional following the completion of the Indigo Conference, Mr. Goodshow has extended an invitation to Ash to compete in the Champions League,” the executive assistant noted. “I am pleased to announce that this invitation has been accepted, and that Ash intends on challenging Kanto’s Elite Four, and, should he be successful in those battles, the Kanto champion.”

Ash grinned excitedly as the sound of cameras snapping ramped up again. Misty, who saw this on the television, smirked. She knew it wasn’t because of the added attention; it was because he was thinking about his future battles with a group of highly formidable trainers.

“With that established, I shall now open the floor to questions for our new conference champion,” Zanna concluded, motioning her hand towards Ash.

The young man kept the big smile on his face, inviting the gathered reporters to “fire away!”

He quickly regretted that, however, as they all began shouting their questions at the exact same time. Ash chuckled nervously and sunk back in his chair, while Pikachu quickly jumped off of his trainer’s shoulder and hid _beneath_ the chair instead.

“One at a time!” Zanna barked, immediately getting the media back in line.

Ash let out a sigh of relief, turning towards Zanna and offering a relieved, “thanks!”

Zanna looked towards Ash and smirked, finally giving him a good look at her face: slender with hazel eyes and painted with apparent make up. “These people can smell fear like a Sharpedo smells blood. Don’t let them eat you alive, kid.”

* * *

“Man, I thought that would _never_ end!”

“Piii-ka!”

Delia giggled as her son came trudging towards her and the others who had been waiting for his press conference to wrap up. “Oh, but you were wonderful, dear!”

“You think so?” Ash asked, straightening up as he blushed a bit. “I was so nervous!”

“Well, that certainly makes sense,” Professor Oak concurred. “You’re not used to that kind of attention! I imagine anyone who’s unfamiliar in such a situation would feel the same as you.”

“Not to mention those journalists were pretty rowdy,” Brock remarked with a chuckle.

“I just hope I didn’t come across as stupid,” Ash sighed.

“Don’t worry, Ash; you don’t need a big audience for that!”

Ash turned around to glare at whoever had just made that snide remark, but quickly dropped his annoyance when he saw who it was. “Misty!”

He swooped forward and wrapped his arms around her, somewhat surprising the others. Misty, meanwhile, blushed a bit and tried to free her arms to return the gesture, but it was futile. Ash had gotten a lot stronger with age. “Seriously, how do you have this much energy left?”

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Ash cheered, completely ignoring her question. Staring deeply into her sea green eyes, Ash asked, “did you see the whole thing?”

Misty smiled and nodded her head. “Of course, I did. You were great!”

“I just thought about what you told me the entire time I was battling,” Ash continued, finally releasing Misty from his grip.

“I didn’t know anything about that,” Delia murmured, causing Ash to turn around. “Misty, dear, what on Earth did you say to Ash that got him so fired up?”

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Misty refuted with a nervous laugh. “I just told him to not let anyone get in the way of him reaching his goal! He seemed to have taken it to heart.”

“Sure did!” Ash confirmed. “It was like I could hear your voice in my head during the whole battle. That’s what kept me going!”

Misty’s blush intensified, causing Ash’s grin to widen. Pikachu, meanwhile, who had been on the floor during this entire exchange, let out a frustrated whine and pawed at Misty’s ankle, gaining her attention.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Pikachu!” Misty apologized, lifting the electric mouse into her arms. “You were wonderful too! I don’t think Ash could’ve done it without you!”

“Chu!” Pikachu squeaked, rubbing against the side of Misty’s neck.

Ash smirked at the two before announcing, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m _starving_.”

“There’s a lovely restaurant nearby that would be wonderful for a celebration,” Delia suggested. “And you most definitely deserve it!”

“Hey, as long as there’s food, I’m in!” Ash laughed. 

“And everyone is free to join us, of course!” Delia added.

“That sounds wonderful!” Professor Oak crowed. “Thank you, Delia!”

“Yeah, what a generous offer!” Brock agreed.

Looking over his shoulder, Ash prodded, “what about you, Misty? You’re gonna come with us, right?”

Misty was so busy staring into Ash’s warm brown eyes that she failed to recognize the buzzing of her phone until it trailed off. Ash noticed her eyes shift, and his promptly followed suit.

“Everything okay?” He asked timidly.

“Yeah, just fine!” Misty assured him, shaking her head out. “I would love to join you guys. Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum.”

Delia beamed at Misty and replied, “of course, dear!”

“I just have to check my phone,” Misty sighed, handing Pikachu over to Ash. “It’s been going off nonstop, but I wasn’t going to answer it while you were battling.”

“Or while you were doing that press conference…” Brock muttered.

Misty glared at him, but Ash just started laughing all over again. “Aw, thanks, Mist! I really appreciate it. Go on and check! We’ll wait up for you.”

“Thank you,” Misty breathed, offering Ash a genuine smile.

She pulled out her phone as the rest of the group walked away, activating the screen and wincing when she saw just how many missed calls she had…all from the same number.

“Whoever this is sure is persistent,” she muttered before noticing the latest call had resulted in a voicemail. Selecting the message, Misty held her phone up to her ear and listened carefully to its words.

By the end of the succinct memo, she had gone pale and was death gripping her phone to prevent it from slipping to the floor.


	2. Alive, Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad the prologue of this story was well received! I wasn't sure how I wanted to space out updates for this story, but I figure it's been almost a month (?) since I uploaded the prologue and time is basically a formality at this point anyway.

It amazed Ash that no one had recognized him yet, although he figured the speed he was running at probably made that fact more believable.

He had just reached Cerulean City after a quick ride on Charizard’s back, and he knew exactly where he was headed. People stared at him as he raced by, but that was largely due to his haste and not particularly who he was.

In reality, it was nice. Ash was proud to have won the Indigo Conference, and he didn’t mind signing autographs or taking pictures, but he did miss his now long-gone anonymity on occasion. As hard as it was to believe, even a happy go lucky and super friendly guy like Ash Ketchum appreciated some peace and solitude every once in a while.

His reason for visiting the floral lagoon city was simple: there was someone he wanted to see. He’d been pretty busy since the end of the Indigo Conference and hadn’t gotten to do many fun things outside of his pre-requisite responsibilities as the new Kanto league champion. Those who were close to him knew exactly who that person was, without him even having to say a name, and it always led to a bevy of knowing smiles.

Ash had no idea why.

Regardless, he was excited to pay this visit, and never dwelled too long on what those looks actually meant. With the speed at which he was running, it didn’t take him long to reach his destination.

The Cerulean City gym.

For the first time since he’d dismounted Charizard, Ash stood still so he could take in the sights of the massive building. It looked so different from the first time he’d visited. The goofy, beach ball style roof, giant Dewgong sign, and garish paint job of pink, yellow, and peach had been replaced by an angular glass roof, a Starmie sign emblazoned with the official Pokémon League logo, and a much more conservative color scheme of gray and white with just a few pops of purple, yellow, and pink to keep it interesting.  


It had been a couple of years since Ash had first seen it, during his school field trip from Alola. None of his classmates had ever seen the gym’s old design, so they had no idea how dramatic of a transformation it had really been. Ash, however, was fascinated by just how much it had changed, and before they’d even walked inside, he’d asked Misty what felt like a hundred questions.

_“How were you guys able to do all of this?” He’d marveled, staring up at the roof as it glistened in the sunlight._

_“An influx of funding from the Pokémon League,” Misty had replied simply, smirking at Ash. “Isn’t it awesome?”_

_“Yeah, it looks amazing!” Ash gushed. “Like it’s not even the same place! What did you do with that weird Dewgong sign? Did you sell it? Or give it away? Do you still have it in storage somewhere?”_

_“That’s what you’re most curious about?” Misty scoffed._

_“Of course!” Ash chuckled. “That thing made me laugh every time I came here!”_

_Misty appeared a bit offended. “Why, because you thought it looked stupid?”_

_“Kind of,” Ash admitted, blushing a bit. “But also, because as soon as I saw it, I knew I was one step closer to seeing you!”_

_He didn’t really grasp the full meaning of what he’d said back then, but Misty was not that dense. Her own blush had exploded all over her face, and she found herself unable to speak. Fully unaware of his own effect on Misty, Ash blinked and leaned in closer to her._

_“Hey, are you okay?” He asked naively. “Your face is really red.”_

_“I’m fine!” Misty blurted, causing Ash to take a step back. “Really, it’s nothing! I didn’t realize how hot it was getting out here. Come on, let’s go inside!”_

Ash chuckled at the memory before turning to look at Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder. “You ready, buddy?”

“Pi!” Pikachu confirmed. He adored Misty, so any day the little mouse got to see her was among the best.

Ash grinned before walking towards his favorite aspect of the gym’s new design: a short white bridge that hovered above the water surrounding the building. The doors slid open automatically as soon as he got in front of them, granting him access to the gym’s expansive lobby. Just as he expected, however, no one was there to greet him. That wasn’t really Misty’s job…which was the problem.

“Ugh, how many of you little brats do I have to see tod- _OH MY GOSH!_ ”

Ash winced and quickly reached for his ears in a belated effort to guard his hearing. Pikachu, meanwhile, pulled off a near similar reaction.

“The _actual_ Indigo Conference champion? In _our_ gym?”

Slowly re-opening his eyes, Ash found himself face-to-face with a familiar blue haired woman. “Violet, I come here all the time.”

“Hardly enough!” Violet refuted with a huff, folding her arms. “Like, it wouldn’t be so bad to see you a little more often. You sure have gotten _way_ more fun to look at!”

Ash shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t exactly take that as a compliment, though he managed to eek out a dull, “thank you?”

“Oh, hang on!” Violet cried, racing towards the vacant front desk.

“Where would I go?” Ash genuinely asked. “I just got here.”

“Don’t move!” Violet shouted, quickly glaring at Ash before turning her attention back onto the desk.

Ash groaned and rolled his eyes, watching as the middle Sensational Sister rummaged through what he could only imagine was a sea of clutter. Misty was very neat and organized, but her older sisters were anything but. Ash wasn’t the tidiest person either, but the Sensational Sisters were for sure a step worse than him…if not more. Violet suddenly let out a cheer of excitement before shuffling back towards Ash with a piece of paper in her hands. “Could you, like, sign this?”

She thrust the paper directly into Ash’s face, revealing it to be a photograph of himself. Ash’s discomfort managed to increase, but feeling trapped, he smiled nervously and replied, “yeah, sure.”

He took the photo from Violet and was quickly handed a pen as well. Holding the 8x10 against his thigh, Ash bent over and quickly scribbled his autograph across the glossy surface before handing it and the pen back to her.

“My friends are going to be so _jealous!_ ” She squealed, beaming at the photograph.

“Glad I could help,” Ash chuckled lowly. “So, where’s Mi- “

“IS THAT HIM?!”

Ash groaned and stuck a finger in his ear. “Okay, I’m on the verge of losing my hearing now.”

Violet was quickly pushed out of the way by her stunned second younger sister, who took a big step towards Ash once the lane was clear. “Wow, it is!”

“Do you guys just like to ignore the fact I’ve visited here before?” Ash deadpanned.

“No, but you were never a champion before now,” Lily bluntly replied.

“I came here after I became the Alola champion!” Ash cried.

“Not nearly as big of a deal as this one,” Lily refuted before turning her head and realizing Violet was holding a picture. “Hold on! Is that an _autographed photo?!_ ”

Violet teasingly winked at her sister. “Sure is! Ash signed it just for me!”

“That’s no fair! I don’t have anything for him to sign!” Lily whined. She suddenly stopped to think, muttering, “actually…”

Ripping the pen out of Violet’s hand, Lily tapped it against her chest and purred, “this could work.”

Ash’s distress reached an all-time high, his face immediately flashing red as he became completely flustered.

“Would you two leave him alone?!”

Ash whipped his head to the right, relief flooding over him as soon as he saw Misty standing in the doorway to the battle area.

“We’re not doing anything to him!” Lily gasped, offended by the very idea.

“You just asked him to sign your chest,” Misty droned, marching forward so she could snatch the pen from Lily. “That’s basically harassment.”

“Not when he’s your boyfriend it isn’t,” Lily sighed.

“He’s _not_ my boyfriend!” Misty practically shrieked, lashing at her pink haired sister’s arm with the pen. “And even if he was, that would actually make what you did even creepier!”

“You’re right, Lily is a total perv,” Violet agreed, earning a scowl from the aforementioned woman. “But look! I got something totally not weird signed by Ash! Wasn’t that sweet of him?”

Misty groaned as Violet held the photo in front of her face. “Just because it’s not as weird doesn’t mean it’s not annoying. Ash has been chased down by fans and signing autographs every single day since he won the Indigo Conference. He came here to get away from that kind of stuff!”

“Don’t worry, Mist, it wasn’t that big of a deal!” Ash assured her. “Well, the picture wasn’t, anyway.”

Pikachu squeaked and jumped into Misty’s arms, earning a smile from the gym leader as she rubbed her cheek against the top of his head. “Hi, Pikachu! It’s nice to see you again!”

“You always seem more excited to see him than me,” Ash grumbled, pouting as he folded his arms. Violet and Lily, meanwhile, exchanged curious looks.

“Hey, I just swooped in to save you from these two bimbos,” Misty quipped, nodding towards her sisters who quickly began to protest. “I’m practically your knight in shining armor!”

Ash’s pout was soon replaced with a grin so wide Misty was sure it could’ve cracked his face in half. “You really think so, huh?”

“I do,” Misty confirmed with a short giggle, nodding her head. “Come on! We can go hang out in the battle area. Violet, Lily, I’m going to take the rest of the day off. If any challengers come by, please tell them to drop by tomorrow instead.”

“Of course, that’s what we’re best at!” Violet crowed.

“But we’re even better at just giving away badges,” Lily suggested, nudging her younger sister’s shoulder.

“No, don’t you dare!” Misty scolded, shrugging Lily off of her. “Just ask any trainers who come by looking for a gym battle to be patient. I’m sure they’ll understand.” She shifted her eyes towards Ash, who was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Actually, they might not. But I don’t care. I’m not just giving out gym badges.”

“Aw, but it’d be so much easier!” Lily whined.

“Absolutely not,” Misty sighed, grabbing Ash’s arm and surprising him as she started to tug him towards the battle area, leaving her sisters behind before they could argue with her any further.

“Hey, where’s Daisy?” Ash asked, looking straight ahead at the battlefield as it came into his line of sight. Just being able to see it got his blood pumping. “I’m kind of surprised she didn’t jump out at me too.”

Misty looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. “She’s out on a date with Tracey.”

“Again?” Ash marveled, watching as Pikachu jumped out of Misty’s arms to excitedly greet her Psyduck, who had been standing guard on the battlefield. “I’m kind of surprised you let her do that while the gym is so busy.”

“Honestly, it’s better than having her here trying to give away Cascade Badges like candy,” Misty quipped. “Besides, she and Tracey are pretty cute together! They make each other so happy, it’s really hard to say no.”

“It’s never weird for you to see them like…that?” Ash asked, unsure of how else to word it.

“It was a little bit, at first,” Misty admitted. “But like I said, they seem to work well together! And Tracey is so much nicer and smarter and more motivated than any guy Daisy has dated before. I’m all for anyone who can get her on a better track.”

Ash chuckled a bit at her explanation. “Dating seems like a lot to think about.”

Misty smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think so. If you know how you feel about someone, then I think it’s pretty effortless.”

Ash tilted his head a bit and allowed his eyes to travel downwards, to where Misty was still clutching his arm. She quickly noticed him staring and retracted her hand, blushing as she laughed nervously.

“Sorry,” she hurriedly apologized.

“Nah, you’re fine!” Ash brightly replied.

“So, what brings you here?” Misty asked, holding her hands behind her back. “I thought you’d be busy with all your champion duties.”

“I’m allowed to take a break every once in a while!” Ash laughed. “I wanted to spend it with you.”

Misty’s blush intensified, but when she glanced at Ash, he looked positively confused. He still wasn’t getting it. “Oh? And do what?”

Now it was Ash’s turn to shrug. “I don’t know. You’ve just seemed kinda distant since the end of the Indigo Conference. I wanted to make sure you weren’t mad at me or anything like that.”

Misty smiled sadly and shook her head. “Of course I’m not mad at you, Ash. I’ve just had a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“Oh, good!” Ash sighed heavily, obviously quite relieved to hear that. He quickly became flustered, however, and cried, “That you’re not mad at me, I mean! Not that you’re stressed out.”

Smirking, Misty assured him, “It’s fine, I know what you meant.”

“Well, in that case, we should try and do something to get your mind _off_ that kind of stuff!” Ash encouraged. “How about a Pokémon battle?”

Pikachu’s ears perked at the suggestion, but quickly lowered once Misty groaned. “I don’t know about that.”

“Why not?” Ash whined, sounding much more like a child than a 21-year-old man. “You always love battling against me!”

“Yeah, but I just don’t feel like it,” Misty muttered, refusing to let Ash know the real reason for her hesitance.

“Come on, let’s give it a try!” Ash pushed. “I bet once we start, you’ll forget all about whatever’s bothering you!”

Misty let out an aggravated sigh and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“Nope,” Ash easily replied. “But you already knew that!”

A smile finally reappeared on Misty’s face, and much to Ash’s surprise, he felt the slightest of flutters in his stomach. 

“Fine, you win,” Misty conceded, folding her arms. “I’ll have a battle with you.”

“YES!” Ash cheered, pumping his fist and racing towards the challenger’s box, Pikachu following after him. “I promise I’ll give you my best!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less out of you,” Misty bantered, walking far more calmly towards her own box and silently directing Psyduck off of the field.

“How’s a one-on-one sound?” Ash asked. “Nice and quick!”

“Bold to assume any battle between you and I would be nice and quick,” Misty snickered.

Ash couldn’t help but to agree. “Yeah, we do have some of our best battles together, don’t we?”

“I might be biased, but I’d certainly say so!” Misty chirped. Throughout their entire exchange, her smile had only managed to grow wider. “You want me to send out my Pokémon first?”

“Nah, I’ll show you who I’m working with,” Ash replied. “Then you can have the first move!”

“What a gentleman,” Misty teased, gently inclining her head.

Those darn Butterfree went off in Ash’s core again, this time just a little stronger than before. Regardless, he managed to shake them off and reach towards his waist, stopping when Pikachu came trotting towards him.

“Pi-ka, Pikapi?” Pikachu squeaked.

“Sorry buddy,” Ash apologized, smiling kindly at his partner. “But I want to give someone else a turn! You battle against Misty all the time.”

Pikachu huffed and crossed his little arms, earning an amused laugh from Misty. “I can’t believe he used to refuse to battle me! I think I’ve become his favorite opponent. Is that right, Pikachu?”

The mouse perked up at Misty’s question and called back with an affirmative, “chu!”

Still smirking, Ash shook his head as he retrieved one of his poke balls. “Squirtle, I choose you!”

Misty’s eyes lit up as the tiny turtle Pokémon materialized before her. “It’s been a long time since I battled Squirtle!”

“I figured a water type battle would be interesting,” Ash explained. “And when we’re talking water types, Squirtle is my number one!”

“Squir!” Squirtle proudly agreed, banging on his chest.

“Interesting for sure,” Misty purred, pulling out her own poke ball. “Okay then. Corsola, let’s go!”

The coral Pokémon popped out of the sphere, chirping excitedly as soon as she saw Squirtle.

“Corsola, I know you two are friends, but we have to put our all into this battle!” Misty encouraged her chosen partner. 

“Cor!” Corsola cried.

Chuckling, Ash held his arm out and offered, “like I said, you have the first move!”

“Don’t mind if we do!” Misty called. “Corsola, spike cannon!”

Corsola began to glow white as she fired off similarly radiant barbs towards Squirtle.

“Dodge it!” Ash commanded.

Squirtle jumped in the air, the spike cannon petering out beneath his feet.

“Great!” Ash cheered. “Now, use hydro pump!”

Retreating into his shell, Squirtle began to rapidly spin around as he fired a powerful jet of water from his mouth that filtered through the shell’s openings. Before Misty could give an order, Corsola was struck by the attack, causing her to cry out as she went flying backwards.

“Corsola!” Misty cried before grunting, “Squirtle’s gotten even faster.”

“You know how I feel about speed!” Ash gloated as Squirtle landed back in front of him.

“Oh yeah?” Misty challenged. “Well, we’re fast too! Corsola, show them your tackle!”

As Corsola charged towards Squirtle, Ash couldn’t help but to stare at Misty. She had thrown her arm out in front of her when she’d ordered tackle, and it was then that he noticed the gentle, sloping muscles in her otherwise slender limb. His eyes shifted down ever so slightly, where Misty’s exposed midriff was on display. That, much like her arm, was noticeably toned. Ash assumed it was from all the swimming and training with her Pokémon that she did, but he had never noticed that about her before. And her ivory skin was so smooth, and so light…she practically glowed thanks to the natural sunlight that poured in through the gym’s windows.

“Pikapi!”

Ash was snapped back into reality by Pikachu’s alarmed cry, just in time to watch Corsola collide with Squirtle.

“Ah, no!” Ash hissed as his water type rolled towards him.

“What’s the matter, Ash?” Misty playfully taunted. “Got distracted?”

His heart skipped a beat, which was even stranger to him than all the fluttering in his stomach he’d felt before. Choosing to ignore it for the time being, Ash refuted, “of course not! Squirtle, quick, skull bash!”

The tiny turtle popped back up and immediately rammed his head into Corsola before the coral Pokémon could move far enough away from him.

“Close combat battle, huh?” Misty muttered. “Alright then, bubble beam!”

Corsola opened her mouth and returned the favor to Squirtle, firing off a close-range bubble beam attack.

The battle raged on like that for a while longer, both Pokémon taking their licks. The turning point came, however, after Misty had Corsola use recover and then quickly turn around with another tackle. That ultimately proved to be the breaking point for Squirtle, who struggled to stand right after and ultimately collapsed into a heap on the battlefield.

“Squirtle, no!” Ash cried, running over to his Pokémon and scooping him up. “Are you okay?”

“Squir,” Squirtle murmured, wearily opening his eyes and smiling at Ash.

“Good,” Ash sighed.

“Is Squirtle alright?”

Ash glanced up and found Misty hovering over him, her hands grasping at her bent knees.

“Yeah, he’s just fine!” Ash assured her. “A good rest and he should be okay.”

Misty smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Now Ash’s heart was _speeding up_. He couldn’t understand what, for the life of him, was going on. Before, when he’d looked at Misty a little too long, his heart had skipped a bit. Now, however, staring into her sparkling, sea green eyes, his heart was practically racing.

_Something really weird is going on…_

“Are you alright?”

Ash just barely registered that Misty’s lips were moving, and that she had asked him that question. Shaking his head out, he confirmed, “yep, all good! I think I’m just…amazed at how good that battle was! You had a really good strategy, and you beat me fair and square.”

“Yeah, but it sure was close,” Misty commented. “It’s no wonder you’re the Indigo Conference champion!”

“That’s nice of you,” Ash chuckled, scratching his temple. “But I don’t want to stop there! I want to become the Kanto champion. And to do that, I’ve got to focus on beating the Elite Four and then Lance. I know it’s gonna be a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it!”

Misty shrunk a little at his words, bringing a look of concern to Ash’s face. “I think it’s great that you’re so motivated, Ash. It’s actually one of my favorite things about you…”

He blinked as she trailed off. “Really? You don’t sound so sure about that.”

He’d said it with a nervous chuckle, but that did nothing to placate Misty. “I am. I’m sorry. I’m just so…”

“Stressed out?” Ash suggested once she trailed off again.

“Yeah,” Misty sighed. “Listen, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, kay? Keep an eye on Psyduck for me.”

Ash turned his head and realized that Pikachu had gone back to playing with Psyduck, now joined by Corsola, as had Squirtle, who had recovered enough to leave his arms and join his fellow Pokémon. He then looked back at Misty, offering her a sweet smile. “Sure, no problem!”

Misty gave him her own weak grin in return before hastily leaving the battle area, Ash watching her the whole time. She made her way down the hall and into the gym’s locker room, throwing herself down on one of the benches and burying her face in her hands.

“It absolutely _is_ a problem.”

She dejectedly lowered her hands in order to dig through the backpack she’d left by the bench’s leg, retrieving her cell phone. She turned it on and scrolled through her voicemails, selecting the latest one and pressing play before holding the device against her ear.

_“Hello, Misty. This is Agatha, of Kanto’s Elite Four. I’m calling because I’ve been reviewing your gym records along with senior members of the Pokémon League, and we’re quite impressed with your body of work. We are looking for potential candidates to fill in a vacancy within the Elite Four, and we were hoping to interview you as one of the candidates. If you’re interested, please give me a call back and I’ll be happy to schedule a meeting at the Indigo Plateau. I know it’s a lot to think about…please take your time. But we really think this could be the right fit for you to further yourself as a trainer.”_

Misty lowered her phone and dropped it in her lap, now propping her head up with her hands.

“Maybe it is the right fit…but I _really_ don’t want to be the one who’s going to stop him from reaching his dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, most of you saw that coming. There are still lots of fun surprises to come, however! Looking forward to taking you guys on this journey.
> 
> See you all next time!


	3. Hear the Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I was kind of trying to do updates on a monthly basis, but this is slightly less than a month. Time still doesn't matter, so it's fine.

Brock was a very busy man.

As a still relatively new Pokémon Doctor, his shifts were long, and they came at all hours of the day and night. He basically relied on coffee in order to function, but in the grand scheme of things, it was worth it. Brock loved his job. He loved being able to help out all different kinds of Pokémon who were in need.

Working alongside Nurse Joy certainly didn’t hurt either.

Despite this, Brock always tried his best to make time for his friends, especially when they needed his advice or companionship. It was, in a sense, not much different than what he did in his line of work.

Today, he was doing just that for Misty.

She’d called him in a huff the day prior, rambling on and on about how she was “completely stuck” and “had no idea what to do with herself.” Brock had just sat there awkwardly for a good 10 minutes, letting Misty air all of her grievances until she’d apparently run out of breath to continue. It was at that point Brock offered to meet Misty halfway the next day in order to have a (much calmer) conversation about her current predicament in the hopes that he would be able to help her out. Although Misty had still sounded upset, she’d agreed that the meeting would definitely help her feel better.

And so, in a small café located on Route 4, Brock waited patiently for his redheaded friend to show up. She wasn’t running late; he’d simply been early. He figured a little bit of alone time would be good before Misty arrived and began picking his brain for advice on whatever was troubling her.

And it seemed to _really_ be troubling her.

He had already staked claim on a table with his favorite beverage in hand: Celadon coffee with just a splash of milk and cream. It was a lovely change of pace from his usual, bustling day at the Pokémon Center that was demanding from start to finish. 

Then Misty showed up.

She burst through the front door like a Charmander being chased by hydro pump, effectively ruining the sanctity of the little shop and managing to get all eyes on her. Brock opened his mouth to greet the young woman but stopped himself as Misty frantically dumped her belongings into the chair beside him before sinking into the next seat over and folding her arms on the table, throwing her head down on top of them.

“Hi,” Brock finally murmured.

Misty responded, but didn’t bother to pick her head up, so it came out muffled and unintelligible. 

At a slight loss for what to do next, Brock pushed his coffee forward and offered, “would this help?”

Misty glanced up and, as soon as she saw the cup, narrowed her eyes. “No, that stuff tastes like mud.”

Brock sighed and pulled his drink back towards him. “So, what’s on your mind? You’re not usually this out of sorts, so it must be a lot.”

“You’ve got that right,” Misty grumbled.

Brock frowned. “You know you can tell me anything, right? We’re friends, and I want to help you.”

“Of course, I know that,” Misty replied, finally showing off a bit of a small smile before it quickly disappeared again. “But…before I do, I need you to promise me something.”

“Sure, anything.”

Misty looked around the room, relieved to see that everyone had gone back to minding their own business, before leaning forward so she was only inches away from Brock. “You have to promise not to tell anyone, but _especially_ Ash.”

“Especially Ash?” Brock repeated, sounding confused.

“Brock, I’m serious,” Misty whispered urgently. “Not a word!”

“Okay, okay!” Brock hurriedly assured her. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Misty sighed, sitting back in her chair and looking down at her hands. She remained silent for a bit too long, which only served to further concern Brock.

“Misty, you’re freaking me out,” Brock informed her point blank. “What is going on?”

Letting out a long breath, Misty slowly looked up and asked, “remember at the Indigo Conference when my phone wouldn’t stop ringing?”

“Yeah, and you refused to pick it up every time,” Brock scoffed, unable to help himself.

Misty, however, was unable to join in on the lightheartedness of it. “It was Agatha.”

“Agatha…” Brock murmured, trying to rack his brain. Realization suddenly hit him, and he cried, “of the Elite Four?!”

“Shh!” Misty hissed, her eyes darting around the café again. “Not so loud!”

“Sorry,” Brock apologized, lowering his voice. “Why would she call you? How’d she even get your number?”

“I’m assuming from the Pokémon League,” Misty guessed, shrugging her shoulders. “But she was calling to tell me that they’re interested in interviewing me to become a member.”

“Of the Elite Four?” Brock breathed.

“Yep,” Misty replied shortly.

Brock, for his part, was at a loss. “That’s…good news, isn’t it? I would think so, but you don’t seem very excited.”

“Because I’m not!” Misty snapped, her eyes narrowing. 

“Why not?” Brock prodded. “This says a lot about how far you’ve come as a gym leader! You should be proud of yourself for even getting that call.”

“Maybe I would if the timing of it wasn’t so terrible,” Misty growled, shaking her head. 

“I’m still not sure what you mean,” Brock admitted. “How could there possibly be a bad time to have the Elite Four interested in your talents?”

“When your best friend is literally in training to take them on,” Misty answered, saying every word slowly and deliberately. 

_That_ was what cued Brock onto Misty’s real problem. “Oh, I see. It’s not the actual position that’s got you so upset…it’s Ash.”

“It’s not Ash’s fault,” Misty quickly refuted, not wanting Brock to even think that was her concern. “This is what he’s always worked towards. He finally gets it, and now the League takes notice of me? It’s honestly like a joke.”

“I doubt they’re doing it to be spiteful,” Brock tried.

“Of course, they’re not, what do they know?” Misty sighed. “But that doesn’t make me feel any better. What if I get picked, and then I’m the one who has to face Ash? The whole basis of my job would be to stop him from getting to the champion.”

Brock thought it over for a moment before responding, “yeah, now I see why you’re so upset.”

“Right?!” Misty cried, her eyes widening.

Humming, Brock held a single finger up to Misty and requested, “give me a minute.”

She wanted to protest, but Brock got up and left her alone before she could. Groaning, she stretched her arms across the table and put her head back down, not interested in keeping it up and potentially being recognized by another patron. Normally she wouldn’t mind, but right about now, all she wanted to do in this current moment was sit and self loathe, _especially_ after the boisterous way she’d first come into the cafe.

Misty wasn’t sure how long she had stayed like that, but it felt like a while before Brock had returned and thrust a warm cup against her outstretched hand. Sitting up, Misty stared at the drink before desolately muttering, “that isn’t coffee, is it?”

“No, tea,” Brock replied, sitting back down. “ _That_ I know you don’t hate.”

Sitting back up, Misty tentatively took the cup and murmured a grateful, “thank you” before taking a long sip and smiling softly afterwards. It was fruity and sweet, just the way she liked her tea.

“I hate to say it, but you might be overthinking this whole thing,” Brock advised the gym leader as she continued to drink.

“How could I possibly be overthinking this?” Misty asked, lowering her cup to stare at Brock.

“You’re worried about how potentially getting this position could affect your relationship with Ash,” Brock continued. When Misty opened her mouth to protest, Brock cut her off with a hasty, “and you know I don’t mean _that_ kind of relationship.”

“Well, no kidding,” Misty scoffed. “Ash is still as dense as ever.”

Brock couldn’t help but to smirk at that. “There’s no way Ash would ever be upset with you for getting that kind of opportunity. In fact, I think you know he’d be absolutely thrilled for you! He wouldn’t stop for a single second to think about himself or how it would impact him.”

“Yeah, which would leave it up to me,” Misty muttered, shaking her head.

“And I still don’t think he’d be upset about it,” Brock argued with a shrug. “Ash is a people person. He loves his friends. He loves seeing them succeed. Honestly, I think if he got to battle you as a member of the Elite Four, it would just fire him up even more. I mean, look at how what you said to him right before the Indigo Conference stuck with him!”

“But if I were to beat him- “

“You can’t worry about something like that,” Brock interrupted her again. “If that’s really your only concern, is it worth giving up this opportunity for? Most people will never get this kind of chance in their _lifetimes_.”

Misty bit her lip and looked away. “I know you’re right. It’s just…Ash is different.”

Brock thought she was going to continue, but when she instead raised her tea back to her lips in order to take a sip, Brock realized she had no intention of elaborating any further. “I don’t want to pressure you into doing something that will make you uncomfortable, but I think you kind of know my feelings on the matter. You’re a really talented gym leader, Misty, and the Pokémon League obviously sees that. You’re also a great friend to Ash, and you care about him an awful lot. But don’t discount how he feels about you, and how he would feel about this. I think it’s different than you think it would be, in more ways than one.”

Misty raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Brock meant, but was left unable to ask as his phone started to ring. “Oh, sorry, hold on a second.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Misty sighed. “Nice to know I’m not the only one with a busy phone.”

Brock smirked, but that faltered a bit when he saw who was calling him. Answering the phone, Brock held it up to his ear and asked, “hey, what’s up?”

He fell silent as the person on the other end spoke to him. Misty, on the other hand, continued drinking her tea and looking around the café. She definitely felt a little better after talking to Brock, although she still wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to do. As silly as it sounded, she couldn’t get the thought of having to battle Ash in such a manner out of her head. Brock was right; it was probably bothering her a lot more than it should’ve.

“Uh…yeah, I’ll be right there. Bye.”

As he ended the call, Misty inclined her head and inquired, “work?”

“Something like that,” Brock sighed. “Sorry for heading out so abruptly.”

“Don’t apologize!” Misty rushed out. “This was really helpful. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Brock smirked and stood up, Misty doing the same to meet him. Draping one arm over her shoulders, Brock assured her, “listen, whatever decision you make, just make sure it’s what’s best for _you_ , okay?”

Misty smiled and nodded her head. “I will. Thanks, Brock. You’re the best.”

Brock chuckled and patted Misty’s shoulder. “Well, I don’t know about that…but I’m glad I could help, even if just a little bit!”

* * *

Okay, so maybe Brock’s personal policy of making time for his friends wasn’t exactly the best. Although, in fairness, his friends didn’t usually have simultaneous personal dilemmas that needed immediate solving.

Fortunately for him, this poor, unfortunate soul had at least offered to meet him in Pewter City.

When Brock finally arrived at the Pokémon Center, also conveniently his place of work, his other friend was already sitting there waiting for him…looking far worse for wear than Brock could’ve ever recalled him looking before.

“Ash, you look…awful,” Brock deadpanned.

“Thanks,” Ash grumbled, rubbing at his visibly tired eyes.

Biting his lip, Brock looked down at his cup of coffee direct from the café and held it out towards Ash. “Want some?”

Ash took one look at the drink and refuted, “no, that stuff tastes like mud.”

Brock raised an eyebrow. That sure sounded familiar…

“Have you been getting mobbed by trainers since you got here?” Brock asked hesitantly, deciding the coffee complaint wasn’t important.

“No, surprisingly,” Ash grumbled. “I think maybe they’re scared of me or something.”

“Scared?” Brock asked with a chuckle, his eyes rolling as he got lost in thought. He couldn’t imagine anyone ever finding _Ash Ketchum_ , of all people, scary.

“I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Ash complained, regaining Brock’s attention. “Seriously, I must’ve done nothing but toss and turn since the second I got into bed.”

“Well, that explains your face…and why you think everyone’s so afraid of you,” Brock concluded, taking a seat beside him. “Something must really be bothering you then. You usually sleep like a rock. Any ideas?”

After a long pause, Ash admitted, “yeah, a pretty good one.”

Brock was intrigued by that comment. “Alright, let’s hear it, then.”

Ash fumbled with his hands for a minute before whipping his head around to stare Brock deeply in the eyes. “I spent the day with Misty yesterday. She’s been acting kinda funny since I won the league, so I wanted to try and figure out what was going on…or at least try and cheer her up.”

“You don’t think she’s mad at you, do you?” Brock asked nervously. Having just spoken to Misty beforehand, he knew that wasn’t the case, and wanted to at least make sure Ash knew that as well.

“Nah, I know she’s not,” Ash refuted, causing Brock to release a sigh of relief. “She told me she’s not. And I know she wasn’t lying to me.”

“Okay, well, that’s good,” Brock breathed.

“Yeah, except…” Ash muttered, slowly hanging his head so he no longer had to look directly at Brock. 

“Except?” Brock prodded when Ash didn’t bother to continue.

“I don’t know…I’m starting to feel…weird around her,” Ash stammered, furrowing his brow and failing to notice that Brock was now doing the same. “We had a battle, which was awesome! But I kept getting distracted. And I _never_ get distracted during a battle.”

“That’s definitely true,” Brock noted. “What had you so distracted?”

Biting his lower lip, Ash hesitated before replying, “Misty.”

Brock couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Why’s that? Was she playing head games with you?”

“No!” Ash cried, becoming frustrated that Brock wasn’t just _getting_ it. He was realizing that the more he went on, the more embarrassing this whole thing was. “She was just…battling! She wasn’t doing anything different! She wasn’t _trying_ to distract me! But I just kept…staring at her. And I was noticing all these things about her that I never noticed before. And then my stomach and my heart were doing all kinds of weird things. It felt like I swallowed a whole bunch of Butterfree! And I don’t have any idea what any of this means.”

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. Brock’s lips parted as the world slowed down around him. It suddenly felt like he was on another plane of existence. “Oh wow.”

Ash’s head shot back up; his eyes set wide. “What?! Am I sick or something? You’re a doctor, can’t you help me?!”

He had reached out and grabbed Brock by the shirt, looking and sounding positively panicked. Despite his friend’s current state, Brock chuckled and gently patted the younger male’s hands. “You’re not sick. And even if you were, I’m a _Pokémon_ doctor. I know all you do is think about Pokémon, but that doesn’t make you one.” 

“Brock!” Ash cried, reaching for his head to tug at his raven hair. “Now’s not the time for jokes!”

“Ash, relax,” Brock cleared his throat as he tried to regain his composure. “I already told you, you’re not sick. Now, I don’t mean to presume, but if I had to guess, the reason you’re feeling all of those things around Misty is because you’re starting to look at her a little differently.”

Ash lowered his hands and gently inclined his head. “What does that mean?”

Placing his hands on Ash’s shoulders, Brock leaned in and point blank replied, “I think you like Misty.”

Ash just stared at Brock before breaking into a lopsided smile. “Of course, I like her! She’s my friend!”

Brock sighed and gripped Ash’s shoulders more tightly. “I meant that you like her as _more_ than a friend, Ash.”

“More than a friend?” Ash repeated, his eyes darting wildly before settling on his hands that were set on his lap. “Wait a minute…so that means…”

Brock shook his head. The poor guy was literally short circuiting before his eyes. “You know how I react when I see a beautiful woman?”

“Yeah, like you’re crazy,” Ash deadpanned.

“I react that way because I _feel something_ for that woman,” Brock continued gruffly, choosing to ignore Ash’s snarky comment. “And all that fluttering in your heart and your stomach is your body’s way of reacting to a woman that _you_ feel something for!”

“Oh,” Ash murmured, his face losing quite a bit of its color. “That doesn’t mean I’m gonna start chasing Misty around like a lunatic, right?”

Brock scowled. “No, you’re not nearly as attuned to love as I am.”

“Good,” Ash sighed before his eyes snapped open all over again. “Hold on, _love?!_ ”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!” Brock quickly warned the flustered conference champion. “Seriously, Ash. This could just be a little crush or something! It doesn’t mean you guys have to get married or anything like that. Heck, you don’t even have to ask Misty out on a date. I know it feels weird, but take it one step a time.”

Ash thought about it before asking, “what if I _want_ to ask her out?”

Brock straightened up. “You do?”

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone before,” Ash mused, slowly looking up towards the ceiling. “And you’re right…it’s weird. _Super_ weird. But the way I feel when I look at Misty…even when I’m just _with_ her…I’m really happy. I know I’m happy a lot of the time, but it’s a different kind of happy. One that I really like.”

Brock couldn’t help but to smile at Ash’s innocent admission. “Well then, there’s your answer.”

“But how do I do that?” Ash asked, lowering his head to once again look at Brock.

The Pokémon doctor nearly fell over. “Oh boy. Okay, remember what I just said. You have to take this slow. Don’t just run to the gym tomorrow and ask her on a date! You should spend some more time with her before you do that. More _meaningful_ time.”

Ash frowned. “You mean a battle isn’t meaningful?”

“Not really in terms of trying to impress a woman, _especially_ when it comes to you and Misty,” Brock noted. “Misty knows how you feel about battling. If you just keep challenging her to battles, she’s not going to think anything of it. That’s something you guys have always done. You need to approach this a little differently. Think about things Misty would like to do _outside_ of the gym. That might start to clarify things for her, and _then_ you can take it from there.”

“Man, this sure is a process,” Ash muttered, leaning back against the wall. “I’m used to just going for things!”

A glint appeared in Brock’s eyes as he slung his arm around a stunned Ash. “Attracting women is the trickiest process of our lives. But if you play the long game, it’ll pay off in the best possible way!”

Ash laughed nervously. “I guess you’re speaking from experience, huh?”

Brock groaned and slumped down in his seat. “Not personally, no.” Sitting back up and pumping a determined fist, however, he declared, “but I’ve read enough books and watched enough movies to know that when you find the right girl, it all works out!”

His confidence having been restored, Ash grinned and jumped to his feet. “Thanks, Brocko! This made me feel a whole lot better! I’m gonna get Pikachu and the rest of my Pokémon from Nurse Joy and start thinking of a plan.”

“You go for it, Ash!” Brock cheered, his spirit not fizzling out one little bit. “I have faith in you!”

“Thanks!” Ash chirped. He was about to head towards the front desk of the Pokémon Center, but stopped himself when he thought of something. “Oh yeah. Brock, could you do me a favor?”

“Of course, anything!” Brock brightly replied.

Suddenly becoming more sheepish, Ash gently scuffed his sneaker against the floor and requested, “could you not tell Misty about…any of this?”

Brock smiled at his longtime friend. “You can count on me.”

“Awesome!” Ash sighed before finally jogging in the opposite direction.

As soon as Ash’s back was to him, reality set in for Brock, whose smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

_Well…these are two awfully big secrets that I’m responsible for now. And for the same two people, no less. Maybe keeping busy isn’t such a bad thing after all…_


	4. Embrace the Changes

The next day, Ash returned to the Cerulean gym, but this time, he had no intentions of battling Misty. He knew that if he wanted to try and get Misty to view him differently, he needed to heed Brock’s advice and not do the same old stuff he always did with her…stuff that she definitely didn’t view as romantic. Of course, Ash’s brain was practically running on empty for different ideas, and as a result, his nerves were already shot. That’s why he decided to head out _super_ early so he could think clearly while the streets were quiet and he had less of a chance of being spotted or hunted down by photographers or adoring fans.

And, unfortunately for him, he managed to make it to the gym before it even opened.

When he stepped in front of the doors, and they didn’t automatically slide open, Ash was initially confused.

“That’s weird…” he muttered to himself. He knocked on the glass, assuming that maybe someone was inside and just hadn’t opened the doors for potential challengers yet, but after waiting a minute, no one came. “Is there really no one here?”

He began pushing at the glass, trying to pry it open himself. Pikachu, who sat on his usual perch of Ash’s shoulder, let out a tired sigh. His trainer really never learned.

“You trying to break into my gym?”

Ash gasped and spun around, finding himself face-to-face with Misty. She had an eyebrow raised, but otherwise sounded amused, much to his relief.

“No!” Ash cried, just in case she was actually angry about such a thing. “I was just…surprised that the doors were closed.”

“Yeah, because I didn’t open them yet,” Misty scoffed, holding up the key for proof. “What’re you doing here, anyway? And so early? I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.”

“I just…missed you, that’s all!” Ash blurted, blushing a bit.

At this, Misty tilted her head. “It hasn’t even been two days since we last saw each other. You usually go much longer without seeing me.”

She strode past Ash in order to open the doors with her key. Shuffling closer to Misty, Ash timidly asked, “are you mad about that?”

“What, not seeing you?” Misty distractedly asked, watching as the doors parted before her.

“Yeah…” Ash breathed.

“Of course not,” Misty easily replied, looking over her shoulder at Ash as the doors slid open. “We both had our own things going on! Sure, I missed you, but I couldn’t possibly be mad when you were working towards your goal and I was running the gym.”

And then she finished that statement with a wink, walking into the gym and leaving behind a flustered Ash.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu cried, pawing at his trainer.

Shaking his head out, Ash hurried after Misty, walking into the gym himself and taking a look around. For some reason, it seemed different in the morning, when the sun was so new and there’d been no one there for a battle just yet.

“So…” Ash awkwardly began, Misty too busy behind the front desk to look at him. “What’re you doing today?”

She stood back up, once again arching an eyebrow. “Working.”

“Oh, right,” Ash murmured, Pikachu hanging his head. “Well…what about… _after_ working?”

“I don’t know,” Misty earnestly replied. “Is there something you want to do? It certainly sounds like it.”

“Not especially!” Ash laughed heartily, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’d do whatever you wanted to do! I mean, if you want to hang out after you’re done working, that’d be fun! I could even hang around here if you want! At the gym, I mean. I don’t have anything to do today. And it’s not often I get a break from league stuff, you know! They keep me _really_ busy. Actually, it’s kind of exhausting, and that’s saying something -cause I’ve got so much energy! But I get it. They really want to hype up the Elite Four stuff. Apparently, tons of people are talking about! I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff, but it makes sense. I’m excited, too!”

Misty blinked, amazed that Ash had managed to spit all of that out in one breath. “You’re not kidding about that energy…”

Ash groaned and mentally smacked himself on the head. That wasn’t helping his case! “Sorry, guess I got carried away.”

In response, Misty giggled, which caused Ash’s cheeks to become tinted pink. “It’s fine! I mean…if you really want to hang out around here while I’m busy, be my guest! You might have to interact with my sisters more than me, though…depending on how many challengers show up.”

Ash’s giddy disposition was quickly replaced by one of hesitance. “Uh…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them to behave,” Misty assured him.

“Does that actually work?” Ash asked, folding his arms.

After a long pause, Misty stepped out from behind the desk with an armful of paperwork and admitted, “no.”

As if on cue, the doors to the gym opened once more, granting access to the aforementioned sisters. Unlike the last time he was there, however, Ash was now seeing all _three_ of them, as Daisy was back in tow. When she saw Ash, she had a little smirk on her face, but Violet and Lily were far more shocked than anything else.

“Oh my gosh, you’re back!” Violet shouted. “It’s like you can’t stay away all of a sudden.”

“He was probably regretting not giving me that autograph,” Lily teased, winking at an unimpressed Ash. “Offer still stands!”

“Lily, nobody wants to sign your questionably real breast,” Misty snapped, glaring at her pink haired sister.

“Oh yeah?” Lily sniffed. “There are plenty of men out there who’ve said and done otherwise.”

Ash’s face had exploded red all over again. Daisy quickly took notice of this, and her smirk managed to widen. “Ash isn’t one of those men, Lily. I think you know that!”

The third sensational sister shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t hurt to ask!”

For the third time in a short while, the gym doors opened up yet again, this time revealing a young boy who nobody in the lobby recognized.

“Um…this is the Cerulean gym, right?” He asked.

“You’ve got it!” Lily trilled, flipping her pink hair over her shoulder.

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, good! I wanted to challenge the gym leader to a battle!”

“Perfect, you’re right on time!” Misty chirped, relief washing over her.

“Hey, what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Violet whined.

“You know _exactly_ what it means,” Misty curtly replied, pushing past her sisters and smiling at the newly arrived trainer. “I’m Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader. I’d be happy to accept your challenge! Please, follow me to the battlefield.”

She started to walk away, the boy eagerly following behind her. When they reached the doorway, he continued walking, but Misty stopped and grabbed onto the doorframe. “Remember what I told you, Ash!”

His blush returned, albeit more gentle than last time. Daisy took notice of this, and her expression became more thoughtful. Violet and Lily, on the other hand, didn’t notice and instead began loudly extrapolating. 

“What’d you tell him?” Violet demanded.

“Yeah, sounds steamy!” Lily giggled.

“It’s not,” Misty promised them. “Lily, come on. I want you to be the referee.”

“Ugh, why me?” Lily groaned.

“Because I don’t want you to keep torturing Ash!” Misty barked.

“I am not!” Lily argued, although she made her way over to her younger sister. “I’m just teasing, that’s all!”

Once Misty and Lily had disappeared from view, Ash turned towards the remaining two sisters, nervous energy radiating off of him. Daisy had on a kind smile, while Violet looked far more mischievous.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you,” Daisy commented. “Nice job winning the Indigo Conference!”

“Oh…thanks!” Ash replied, suddenly feeling a bit more relaxed.

“But I don’t think that’s all that’s changed since the last time I saw you,” Daisy mused, causing Ash’s smile to fade. “No…something seems different!”

“Uh…like what?” Ash tensely asked.

Daisy finished tapping her chin and shrugged her shoulders. “If you ask me, you seem a little freaked out! And I’m not used to seeing you like that.”

Trying to hide his unsteady demeanor, Ash laughed shakily and refuted, “me? Freaked out? No way! I’m just…tired is all! Yeah! This champion stuff is pretty demanding, after all.”

“Not surprising,” Daisy agreed, causing Ash to let out a sigh of relief. “ _Especially_ when you’re trying to hide a crush on our sister on top of it!”

Ash’s eyes widened, and Violet whipped towards Daisy with a gasp. “Whoa, for real?! How could you tell?”

Daisy narrowed her eyes at her blue haired sister. “Vi, with everything Misty said to him, Ash was turning red.”

Quickly getting excited, Violet turned her attention back onto Ash and crowed, “I _knew_ Misty said something scandalous to you before!”

“She didn’t!” Ash blurted, shaking his head. “I swear!”

“Oh, so you’re just blushing at _everything_ she says?” Violet muttered. “Wow, you’ve got it bad.”

Ash dramatically rolled his eyes and dragged himself over to one of the lobby couches, sinking down on it and burying his face in his hands. Pikachu, meanwhile, jumped off his trainer’s shoulder and instead settled himself by the young man’s side, comfortingly patting him.

“Geez, you don’t have to act like it’s a death sentence,” Violet quipped. “I know Misty is still kind of a runt, and a little mean sometimes, and- “

“Violet!” Daisy hissed.

“What?” Violet naively murmured.

“You’re not helping,” Daisy scoffed, waving a hand at her.

Ash slowly looked up, glaring at Daisy. “You’re not either.”

“Maybe I wasn’t before, but I can now,” Daisy easily replied. She skirted over to Ash, taking a seat beside him. “Look, it’s still pretty easy to tease both you _and_ Misty, so we can’t help ourselves. But if you really do like my baby sister, then I’m more than willing to give you some advice. Honestly, I really do think you two would look good together!”

“The first time we met, you literally said I wasn’t someone you’d pick out for her,” Ash grumbled. “Besides, I don’t need your advice. I already got some, thank you very much.”

“Oh yeah?” Daisy teased, an amused smirk growing on her lips. “From who?”

Ash pictured Brock in his head and indignantly turned away from Daisy, figuring he didn’t owe her an answer.

“Was it another guy?” Daisy prodded, not deterred by Ash’s silence.

“…maybe,” Ash finally admitted, still refusing to look at Daisy.

“That figures,” Daisy scoffed. “You’re really going to take advice on how to impress a girl from another guy? _Especially_ when this girl is the sister of who you’ve got a crush on?”

Ash furrowed his brow and finally cast Daisy a concerned glance. “How do I know you’re actually going to give me good advice?”

“Because I know what I’m talking about!” Daisy noisily sighed, folding her arms. 

“So do I!” Violet eagerly added, raising her hand. “I go out with guys _all_ the time!”

Ash didn’t seem convinced, but despite his hesitance, he assumed he had nothing to lose by just _listening_ to them. If the advice was really so awful, he didn’t have to take it. “Okay, fine. What’ve you got?”

Raising a single finger, Daisy elucidated, “there’s an outdoor market downtown that Misty absolutely loves. Take her there! You’ll both have a good time, and there won’t be any pressure on you, since it’s super lowkey. I’m assuming you’ve had enough of that in the past couple of weeks to last you a lifetime; you don’t need Misty adding onto it.”

While Ash appeared intrigued, Violet groaned. “Ugh, I thought you were going to suggest something a lot more interesting.”

“But it’s what _Misty_ would like,” Daisy pushed, warily eyeing her sister.

Violet frowned and twirled a piece of hair around her finger. “Who knew going steady with a guy would make you so boring!”

Ash’s smile suddenly widened as he jumped to his feet. “You know what? That’s actually a _great_ idea! Thanks, Daisy!”

Daisy giggled and winked at the young man. “I told you to trust me!”

“Misty was right,” Ash mused aloud. “Tracey really has changed you in the best possible way!”

“Why thank…hey, wait a sec!” Daisy cried, her sea green eyes narrowing.

“Sure, if you think the ‘best possible way’ is the _lamest_ possible way,” Violet grumbled, shaking her head.

“Nice work, Kevin. Congrats again on the badge!”

“Thank you, Misty!”

Ash turned towards the battlefield’s doorway. The young trainer who had arrived before came running out, too busy admiring the shiny new Cascade Badge that he held in his hands to even notice Ash. It was a good thing too, because Ash was busy staring at Misty the entire time. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as she smirked at the excitable young boy, when suddenly she looked over at Ash, who jolted a bit at her gaze.

“Trainers like that always reminds me of you when you were younger,” Misty remarked, accentuating her comment with a delighted giggle.

Ash’s lips twisted into an odd smile. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

Misty hummed amusedly, but quickly assured Ash, “a compliment.”

Lily, who had finally left the battle area herself, strode up next to her sister with her arms folded behind her head. “Hmph, talk about a snooze fest.”

“What do you mean?” Misty scoffed. “That was a really great battle!”

“Sure, if you like watching paint dry too,” Lily quipped.

“Don’t listen to her, Misty,” Daisy calmly interjected. “You know that Lily thinks _every_ battle is boring.”

“Not _every_ battle!” Lily exclaimed before wiggling her eyebrows at the bewildered young man standing next to her oldest sister. “Ash’s last battle was pretty exciting.”

“You’re only saying that because you thought Ash and the other guy were hot,” Violet sniffed.

“So, what’s your point?” Lily challenged.

Misty groaned and rubbed her left temple. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

Ash’s eyes lit up, an idea popping into his head. “So why don’t you?”

Misty blinked. “What?”

“Oh, I meant…we!” Ash laughed nervously. “Why don’t we get out of here?”

“Because I have to work,” Misty sighed. “I already told you this, Ash!”

Ash was about to argue, but Daisy cut in with an easy, “it’s no big deal, Misty. We can watch the gym for you.”

Misty’s eyes shifted between Daisy and her two other sisters. “Really? You three?”

“We won’t give away any badges,” Daisy promised her cagey youngest sister. “Honest! I’ll even be the substitute gym leader, if that makes you feel better.”

“Oh, thank Arceus!” Lily sighed dramatically, covering her heart.

“ _Seriously_ just dodged a bullet,” Violet added breathlessly.

Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. “Well, I definitely don’t want those two filling in for me.”

“Then problem solved!” Daisy crowed, jumping to her feet and gently grabbing Misty’s shoulders, pushing her towards Ash. “You kids have fun!”

Misty grimaced before looking over at Ash. “Where did you want to go?”

Ash smiled shakily before suggesting, “how about…that outdoor market downtown?”

Misty’s face lit up. “Wait, really?!”

“Uh…yeah!” Ash chuckled nervously. “Is that…okay with you?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect!” Misty cheered. “That’s one of my favorite places to hang out! I didn’t even think you knew it existed.”

Ash stammered before locking eyes with a smirking Daisy. “Oh, yeah! Of course! I passed it on my way here and thought it looked really cool!”

“Oh, it is!” Misty marveled. “Wait until you see it up close! There are so many cool things there, and lots for Pokémon! I bet you’ll love it!”

Without another thought, Misty grabbed Ash’s hand and began pulling him towards the front door. He looked back at Misty’s sisters, who all gave him confident looks save for Lily, who was simply confused. Pikachu, meanwhile, gasped and leapt from his spot on the couch, quickly following after the pair for fear of being left behind. Stopping short of the door, Misty too glanced at her sister, giving them all a big smile.

“Thanks, you guys!” She called.

“Don’t mention it!” Daisy giggled, giving the two a little wave.

“Yeah, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Violet added, winking at them.

“Well, that’s a pretty short list,” Misty muttered under her breath so only Ash could hear her. He started to laugh quite heartily, which only caused Misty’s smile to grow. Speaking more clearly, she called back to her sisters, “see you later!”

And with that, she pulled Ash right out of the gym, Pikachu following at her heels.

As soon as they were gone, Violet and Daisy began to squeal, jumping up and down as they shouted excited, unintelligible nonsense at each other.

“What did I miss?” Lily hissed, frustrated that she was being left out of all the fun. “Ugh, I knew that battle was a waste of time!”

* * *

“Oh, look at these fresh berries! I bet Pikachu would love these! You want one, little buddy?”

Pikachu’s eyes lit up as he walked along the display of berries, sniffing at each one. He stopped right in front of a ripe pecha berry and pointed at it, squeaking a delighted, “chu!”

“That one?” Misty asked sweetly, Pikachu nodding in response.

Smiling, Misty picked up the pink, heart shaped berry and brought it over to the owner of the stall. As soon as the woman looked up and saw the redhead standing in front of her, she beamed.

“Ah, Misty!” She greeted.

“Hi, Yuna!” Misty returned warmly.

“You’ve got a day off from the gym?” The saleswoman asked, sounding impressed.

“Something like that,” Misty laughed weakly. “Your produce looks amazing, as always!”

“Thank you!” Yuna breathed gratefully. She then noticed the pecha berry in Misty’s hands and offered the gym leader a kind smile. “Found something you like?”

“My friend did,” Misty confirmed, nodding towards a happy Pikachu. 

“Aw, he’s just precious!” Yuna giggled. “Tell you what: that berry is on the house!”

Misty’s eyes widened. “Yuna, are you sure?”

“Of course!” She replied. ”It’s the _least_ I could do for you.”

“You _always_ say that,” Misty sighed laughingly.

“And I always mean it!” Yuna pushed. “Go on, take it!”

“Well…thank you!” Misty chuckled. “You’re so kind.”

Misty handed the pecha berry over to Pikachu, who accepted it and took a big bite. “Cha!”

“I’m so glad you like it!” Misty giggled, scooping the mouse up into her arms and carrying him back over to an amused Ash.

“You sure are popular around here,” Ash remarked. “That’s like…the fifth person who gave you something for free!”

Misty smirked. “What, are you surprised?”

“No!” Ash hastily refuted. “Of course not. You’re a very likeable person!”

Misty let out a short laugh. “I was kidding, you know. You sure have been jumpy today!”

Ash returned his own nervous chuckle. “You have no idea…”

“People say I did a lot for the gym…that I helped make it more ‘respectable’,” Misty explained, putting air quotes around the last word. “It gets a little weird sometimes, but it is nice to be appreciated!”

“Isn’t that kind of a dig at your sisters?” Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I guess, but I’d be lying if it didn’t make me laugh,” Misty admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

Ash chuckled himself, watching as Pikachu, who was now finished with his berry, returned to his shoulder. “But it’s also a big compliment to you! You are a great gym leader, after all!”

Misty blushed lightly at the comment. “Thanks, Ash. That’s very sweet of you.”

The pair had been having a lovely time at the outdoor market. Much to Ash’s relief (and, admittedly, his surprise), no one had really recognized him or bombarded him with requests for photos or autographs. The fact that it was a weekday afternoon probably helped, but unbeknownst to him, the market workers were so familiar with Misty that they knew Ash was a childhood friend of hers, and they didn’t want to disturb him with such fanfare.

“Whoa, look! It’s the conference champion!”

Of course, children were the exception to the rule. They weren’t nearly as familiar with Misty’s background, on top of generally lacking filters. Seeing a big celebrity like Ash was cause for celebration for the young ones, and they simply couldn’t help themselves.

A group of them rushed up to both him and Misty, staring at the young man with total adoration in their eyes.

“Ah, there’s your fan club!” Misty snickered. “Bet you were wondering when they would show up, huh?”

Ash scowled at Misty before turning towards the kids. “Nice to meet you all! Did you know she’s the Cerulean gym leader?”

He pointed at a smirking Misty, while the group of youngsters looked less than impressed.

“Of course, we know that!” A young boy cried.

“Yeah, we see her all the time!” A little girl added.

“Sorry, Ash, but I’m nowhere near as impressive as you are,” Misty giggled. 

Ash groaned before smiling at the kids. “Guess that’s what happens when you live in a city with a gym!”

“Can we see your Pikachu?” Another little boy asked, pointing at the mouse.

“Sure!” Ash replied, watching as Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and stood in front of the kids instead. “Pikachu loves attention! Don’t you, buddy?”

“Pi!” Pikachu confirmed.

“He also likes to be scratched behind his ears,” Misty informed the children, giving them a little wink.

They all gasped in excitement before reaching out, trying to be the first to do just that. It only resulted in Pikachu getting scratches from five different people at once, however, which greatly increased the enjoyment of the little mouse.

“Look how happy he is!” Another little girl squealed.

“Yeah, he’s moving his ears!” A third boy laughed.

Ash chuckled and folded his arms. “You sure are getting spoiled today, Pikachu!”

The first boy stood up straight and hopped closer to Ash, a big smile on his face. “I can’t wait to watch you battle Lance!”

“Lance?” Ash repeated before laughing. “That’s a nice thought, but I’ve got to get through the Elite Four first!”

“Yeah, but they can’t beat you!” The boy replied. “You’re the best trainer I’ve ever seen!”

Misty’s breath caught in her throat. Those kids sure thought highly of Ash…so highly, in fact, that they didn’t even think the Elite Four were much of an obstacle for him.

_If they’re so confident…then why am I still so terrified?_

She recalled her conversation with Brock the day before; him telling her to not let the fear of potentially defeating Ash stand in the way of going for something so prestigious and important to herself. It was all sound advice, and Misty wished she could just run with it.

But something was holding her back.

“Bye, Mr. Ash! You’re the coolest!”

“Ha…you can just call me Ash! And thanks!”

Misty looked back up and watched as the children excitedly waved farewell to Ash before running off, eagerly chattering away amongst themselves. The way they had looked at Ash, with such reverence and admiration…and she was going to be the one to potentially shatter all of that?

Misty’s nerves were suddenly firing at all cylinders all over again.

Ash turned to face Misty, and as soon as he saw her, the big grin on his face melted away. “Hey, what’s up? You look like you just saw a ghost type.”

Misty frantically shook her head. “No, I’m fine. But…I really should be getting back to the gym now.”

“Back to the gym?” Ash repeated, furrowing his brow. “But your sisters told you to take the rest of the day off!”

“I just don’t trust them to run the gym,” Misty sighed, quickly growing frustrated. “I always do this, and I always get too nervous. I’m sorry, Ash.”

Before he could say anything else, Misty brushed past him, hurrying away from the outdoor market.

_Stupid heart,_ Misty thought bitingly as her eyes filled with tears. _Why can’t I just shut you out and listen to my head instead?_

Ash, meanwhile, was left utterly confused in her wake. Pikachu glanced sadly at his trainer, murmuring a reassuring, “Pikachu, Pikapi.”

The young man slumped his shoulders, still staring at Misty as she disappeared in the distance. “What did I do?”


	5. Fear is Dissolving

To say Misty was embarrassed by her behavior at the outdoor market was an understatement.

It hadn’t felt good when she’d stormed off, and as the day went on, she’d just felt worse and worse about the whole situation. Her sisters repeatedly chastising her for it certainly didn’t help either.

_Since when are they the upholders of good behavior and morals, anyway?_

Misty was beginning to feel like she was living in some kind of alternate reality. Ash was being weird, her sisters were being weird, and she was being weird.

But at least she knew why she herself was being such a disaster of a human being.

Regardless of any kind of excuse, Misty was mature enough to admit that her reaction the day before had been anything but. In fact, it was downright childish. And that’s why Misty was so ashamed of it. She knew she was going to have to apologize for it, and that fact was what had kept her up all night.

As soon as daylight broke, Misty rolled out of bed and got herself dressed and ready to head out to Pallet Town. She had made this trek dozens of times before, but never quite this early. Watching the sunlight slowly peak above the trees and mountains in streaks of orange and yellow made for a lovely view, and helped calm her nerves to some degree. Before Misty knew it, she had reached the grassy hill that overlooked the little town she’d been heading for.

Pallet Town itself was _entirely_ different from Cerulean City. Of course, Misty loved her home city, but she also had a special place in her heart for Pallet Town. It was so peaceful and quiet…not to mention totally adorable. The cute little houses, wide open fields, and dirt roads were all so charming to her.

Running down from the hill, Misty’s feet hit that dirt road and carried her past all those small homes, the sound of newly awoken Pidgey chirping in the trees surrounding her. Misty soon made it to the home she knew so well: white in color with a dark red roof and the sweetest picket fence surrounding it. Suddenly, she was feeling a bit nervous again, but Misty sucked in a deep breath to try and push those feelings down before walking up to the front door and ringing the doorbell.

She braced herself, waiting to be greeted by Ash, but she was surprised when it was instead a familiar woman with auburn hair and amber eyes that shimmered with excitement as soon as they caught sight of her.

“Oh, Misty!” She practically squealed.

“Hi, Mrs. Ketchum!” Misty breathed, quickly calming down again. Ash’s mother seemed to have that effect on her for some reason.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning!” Delia continued.

“I’m sorry for coming by unannounced,” Misty apologized, placing a hand over her heart. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for!” Delia refuted, gently grabbing Misty’s arm and pulling her into the house. “You know that I love having you over, no matter when!”

Misty beamed at the woman. “That’s very sweet of you, Mrs. Ketchum.”

Delia smiled at Misty and continued, “but I have to assume you came here to see Ash?”

Misty froze in place before blushing and admitting, “you got me.”

Giggling, Delia replied, “well, he and Pikachu left for a run a little while ago. But they should be back soon! Please, make yourself at home until then. Would you like some tea?”

“That’d be lovely!” Misty sighed. “Thank you.”

One might think it would be awkward to hang out with the mother of your childhood friend and secret crush, but not for Misty. In fact, Mrs. Ketchum was basically like a mother to her. It had gotten to the point where Misty often dropped by the house even when Ash was away in a far-off region, just because she so enjoyed spending time with Delia.

It was also the perfect way to get some serious dirt on Ash that she could then tease him with.

Misty had lost track of how long she’d been sipping tea and chatting with Delia before the front door opened, Ash and Pikachu charging through it. Misty slunk down in her chair a bit, which Delia noticed out of the corner of her eye.

“Welcome back!” Delia trilled, gaining her son’s attention. “How was your run?”

“Great!” Ash crowed, sounding only slightly out of breath. “The weather was perfect for it. Right, Pikachu?”

“Pi!” Pikachu confirmed.

“I’m so glad!” Delia giggled. “But you might want to go clean up. You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?” Ash repeated, tilting his head as he walked closer to the kitchen. When he saw Misty sitting at the table, his eyes widened, earning a weak smile from the young woman.

“Hey,” she greeted meekly.

“Uh…hey!” Ash replied, far livelier than her.

Standing up from her seat, Delia fetched Ash a glass of water, and as she handed it off to him, whispered, “now you know why I told you to go clean up.”

“Mom…” Ash groaned, taking the glass as he rolled his eyes.

“Ash Ketchum, don’t you roll your eyes at your mother!” Delia scolded. “Women are not impressed by a man drenched in sweat!”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Ketchum,” Misty assured Delia, getting up herself. “I’m used to seeing Ash looking like a hot mess.”

Gaining a sudden surge of confidence, Ash shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “still said hot, at least.”

Misty’s eyebrows shot up, while Delia looked like she was deciding whether she should be impressed by her son or drag him up to his room. Ash glanced between the two women and smirked, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I know what that means,” Ash scoffed. “You both don’t have to act so shocked!”

“We can’t help it,” Misty quipped, momentarily forgetting about the tension between the two of them. “It’s like seeing a Growlithe walk on its hind legs.”

Ash once again rolled his eyes before taking a swig of water, while Misty just giggled in response.

“I need a bit of time to process all of…that,” Delia cleared her throat, smiling encouragingly at Misty while she patted Ash’s shoulder. “If you two need me, I’ll be in the garden with Mimey! Ash, you be a gentleman and fetch Misty anything she needs or wants!”

“Why?” Ash called as his mother walked away. “She knows where everything is.”

Delia stopped in her tracks and shot Ash daggers before continuing her trek to the back door. As soon as she heard the door slide closed, Misty snickered and folded her arms. “I think your mom might be scarier than me.”

“I think you might be right,” Ash agreed softly, looking down at his feet. “Anyway…what brings you here?”

Misty bit her lower lip as the tension came flooding back. “Right. I…wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have stormed off the way I did, and I’m sorry.”

She was nervous when Ash didn’t respond, and her worry only intensified when Ash looked back up, remorse all over his face. “It’s okay, Misty. I just don’t understand what I did to make you so upset.”

Misty could’ve sworn her heart had just fallen into her stomach. “Ash, you didn’t do anything!”

That seemed like news to him. “I didn’t?”

Quickly shaking her head, Misty refuted, “no. I told you, I’ve just been really stressed out lately, and it sort of came to a head yesterday. But it wasn’t your fault.”

That was _kind of_ a lie. Ash was the whole reason Misty was stressed, after all. But he didn’t know that, and he wasn’t doing it on purpose. So, there was no way Misty could possibly hold it against him.

Besides, the megawatt smile that appeared on his face when he learned he hadn’t done anything to hurt Misty made up for the whole thing anyway, in her eyes.

“What a relief!” Ash sighed heavily. “I really thought I screwed something up.”

Misty shook her head. Then, unable to help herself, she teased, “you screw a lot of things up, but that wasn’t one of them.”

Ash shot her an unimpressed look, but as soon as Misty giggled, he dropped the guise and chuckled himself. “Well, since we didn’t get to finish hanging out yesterday…how about today?”

Misty stopped giggling and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Ash effortlessly replied. “I know Pallet is a lot quieter than Cerulean, but I’m sure we could find something to do.”

“You’ve sure loved spending time with me recently,” Misty mused. “It’s almost like you want to take me out on a date!”

Instantly, Ash began to sputter, only further bewildering Misty.

“I was just teasing you,” she assured him lightly. “I thought you’d be able to handle that after dropping that ‘hot’ comment.”

Ash fell silent, letting out a long sigh as he slumped his shoulders. “Right, just teasing! Got it.”

Misty raised an eyebrow. She had really never seen Ash like this before. It was almost like he was an entirely different person. The guy usually oozed confidence, but right about now, he seemed like his head was about to explode with anxiety.

Showing off a comforting smile, Misty reached out and gently grabbed Ash’s arm as she was known to do, immediately registering that Ash’s face was now bright red in color. “Come on, let’s find something to do!”

“Yeah!” Ash cheered, his voice cracking ever so slightly. “Oh, but…”

“But what?” Misty prodded once Ash trailed off.

“Maybe I should go wash up first,” Ash mused, rubbing the back of his neck with his free arm. “Mom was right. I _am_ kinda sweaty!”

Misty smirked. “Yeah, good point. Although, your mom was wrong about one thing.”

“She was?” Ash asked, slowly lowering his arm. “About what?”

Misty let out a short giggle and batted her eyelashes. “I don’t really mind a little bit of sweat.”

That sent Ash into yet another tailspin, the young league champion stammering and blushing as he hurried up the stairs, a thoroughly confused Pikachu following closely behind.

Once they were gone, Misty smiled to herself and leaned against the wall, only the slightest hint of shame intermixing with her own amusement. “He makes it too easy.”

* * *

“Okay, I was wrong. There’s really nothing to do.”

Misty smirked at Ash’s grumbled comment. “I actually like this.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “What? Aimlessly walking around?”

“Yep!” Misty chirped, spinning around and walking backwards so she could face Ash instead. “This isn’t really something you can do in Cerulean. I know it’s not a _huge_ city, but there are still too many people and cars and other distractions around! It’s nice and quiet here.”

“It’s different,” Ash agreed. “I love Pallet Town, although I do wish for a little more excitement sometimes.”

This caused Misty to scoff. “What? Being chased down by criminals on a near daily basis, attacked by wild Pokémon, and facing your own mortality every couple of years isn’t enough for you?”

“Those things aren’t so bad!” Ash laughed heartily.

“Yeah, maybe in hindsight,” Misty muttered.

“Speaking of hindsight…” Ash began, his thought being interrupted when Misty backed right into a wooden fence. She winced as she whipped around, rubbing her lower back as she glared at the post. Ash, on the other hand, couldn’t help but to chuckle. “There you go!”

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Misty sighed, refusing to look at Ash.

“Nah,” Ash refuted. “I thought it was kind of cute!”

“Cute?” Misty repeated, blushing a bit. “I don’t know about that…”

Looking above Misty’s head, Ash’s eyes locked onto one of Pallet’s many grassy hills. “Hey, why don’t we go hang out over there?”

Misty followed Ash’s finger. “That hill?”

“Yeah,” Ash confirmed, skirting past Misty. “You can rest your sore back!”

She gawked at his own back for a few seconds before scowling and chasing after him. “Oh yeah, laugh it up!”

“I am,” Ash chuckled, running up the hill as fast as he could in order to reach the top. Pikachu, meanwhile, hopped off of Ash’s shoulder and began rolling down to the bottom, tittering with amusement as he ran back up. “That’s fun, huh?”

Misty had soon joined Ash and was smiling at Pikachu herself. “I know someone who’d love that!” Reaching to her waist, Misty retrieved one of her poke balls and shouted, “Marill, come on out!”

The aqua mouse Pokémon appeared at her feet, twitching its ears before locking eyes with Pikachu and hopping up and down. Pikachu too became very excited before leading Marill to the edge of the hill, showing the younger Pokémon how to properly roll down it.

“They sure are having a good time!” Ash crowed.

Misty giggled before quipping, “would you like to join them?”

Ash shook his head a bit more quickly than Misty was expecting. “Nah, I think we should leave this to them.”

“Really?” Misty asked, surprise evident in her voice.

“Yeah,” Ash replied, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s fun watching Pikachu and Marill, but it might look a bit silly if you and I do it!”

Misty folded her arms behind her back and cast Ash a careful glance. “So, what’re you saying? We should start acting more like adults?”

Ash scoffed. “Come on, you know me. I’d never suggest something that crazy!”

Smirking, Misty replied, “good to know.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask any follow up questions, Misty whipped her arms out and snatched Ash’s hat off of his head.

“Hey!” He cried.

She jumped back from him, giggling like crazy as she held the hat above her. “I can’t believe that still sets you off!”

“Of course it does, that’s my hat!” Ash shouted.

“Then come and get it,” Misty teased, lowering her arm and waving Ash on with the stolen headwear. 

Scowling, Ash charged towards Misty. As soon as he got near her, however, she turned swiftly on her toes, causing Ash to trip over his own feet and go tumbling to the ground. This only elicited more laughter from Misty, and when Ash glared at her, she tried her best to cover her face with his hat. While Misty’s face was obscured, Ash smirked to himself and scrambled to his feet, playfully tackling the gym leader. Unfortunately, Ash tended to forget his own strength, and he wound up taking both Misty _and_ himself down in one fell swoop. The two started to roll down the hill they’d been standing on, Ash tightly clutching onto Misty to try and protect her from further harm. When they finally reached the bottom, Ash pushed himself up, worriedly looking down at Misty. He was expecting her to be angry, or worse, hurt. But to his surprise, she was still giggling like crazy, and his hat was still firmly in her grasp. This brought a smile to Ash’s face, and he let out a long sigh as he lowered himself back down, his head resting in the grass beside Misty’s. She turned hers to look at him, her giggles finally dying down but the smile remaining on her face.

“You know,” Misty began, “I think you look really nice without your hat.”

“You do?” Ash asked, Misty nodding in response. “Well…I think you look really nice even with dirt and grass in your hair.”

He reached over and began plucking blades of emerald green grass out of her fiery red hair, Misty’s eyes following his hand. After he removed the last piece, she reached up and gently grabbed his wrist. Ash blinked, his fingers relaxing as Misty lowered his hand and intertwined it with her own. His heart began to race as Misty inched closer to him, and before he could fully process what was going on, he felt her lips brush against his own.

“Misty…” Ash breathed.

“I know,” Misty whispered against his lips, watching as his face contorted into a look of bewilderment. “I know that you like me.”

Ash blinked before shooting up. “Y-you do?!”

Misty’s smile widened as she nodded her head.

“Did Brock tell you?!” Ash cried, his face turning a deep red.

“No!” Misty gasped, sitting up as well. “Brock knew?”

“…yes,” Ash sheepishly admitted.

Misty huffed and looked away. “I’m surprised he was able to keep that to himself.”

“I asked him to,” Ash sighed.

“Yeah, but it’s _Brock_ ,” Misty snickered. “Besides…he already knew I liked you.”

Ash’s eyes widened. “Wait…he did? You do?!”

Misty started laughing again, although far more calmly than she had before. “Well, I never actually told him. He just figured it out on his own. But…I’ve liked you for a really long time, Ash. It’s a secret I’ve been keeping for years.”

Ash was obviously stunned. “Then how come you told me now?”

After thinking it over for a minute, Misty responded, “Because I was always afraid that if I told you, you wouldn’t understand, or worse, you’d reject me. And even though I had feelings for you, the last thing I wanted to do was ruin our friendship. You’re my best friend before anything, Ash.”

Despite his best efforts, Ash began to grow teary eyed. “I would never reject you, Misty. Not ever. But…I have to know…how did you figure out I liked you?”

“You were acting so different around me,” Misty elucidated. “You weren’t totally being yourself. I can tell you’ve been nervous, and a little on edge. Also…my sisters sort of tipped me off.”

Ash groaned. “I should’ve made them promise to keep it quiet like Brock!”

“It’s fine, they definitely wouldn’t have listened,” Misty scoffed. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to do all of that. I like you for you, Ash. There’s no reason for you to try and act like someone you’re not, and there’s no reason now for you to be so nervous.”

Ash smiled weakly at Misty before glancing down and realizing that their hands were still connected. Misty noticed it as well and smiled herself. Feeling bold, she leaned forward and chastely pressed her lips against Ash’s. It wasn’t much of a kiss, considering Ash kept his eyes wide open and didn’t even twitch his own lips, but for someone who had waited so many years to do that, it was satisfying enough for Misty. 

Pulling away, Misty noticed that Ash was blushing about as fiercely as she’d seen him yet, and when she reached up and touched her own cheek, she realized she was as well. Lowering her hand, Misty sheepishly looked away for a short moment before turning her attention back onto Ash. He was still red in the face…and still looked like he was in shock. Choking back a laugh, a thought crossed Misty’s mind, and she suddenly became much more serious.

“Ash…there’s something else I need to tell you.”

At that point, the poor league champion looked like he was about to fully pass out. “What is it?”

Misty took in a deep breath and slowly looked back up, her cerulean eyes locking with Ash’s brown.

“The reason I’ve been so stressed…” Misty began, quickly biting her lower lip. 

“Yeah?” Ash prodded when Misty remained silent for too long.

“I got a call from the league the day of the finals,” Misty continued. 

“Was it something bad?” Ash asked, raising his eyebrows. “With the gym?”

“No, not really,” Misty laughed weakly. “It was Agatha, from the Elite Four.”

“Whoa,” Ash marveled, his nerves suddenly having settled. “Really?”

Misty slowly nodded her head. “She’s looking to retire, and so obviously she needs a replacement. And I guess they decided they wanted to interview me.”

Ash’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute, so you- “

“Might become a member of the Elite Four?” Misty interrupted, her shoulders tensing up as she pulled her hand away from Ash. “And might have to battle you?”

Ash thought about it for a moment before murmuring, “oh.” He quickly shook that off, however, and excitedly asked, “you’re gonna go, aren’t you?”

“Go?” Misty repeated.

“For the interview!” Ash crowed.

“I don’t know,” Misty grumbled, pulling her knees into her chest.

“Huh?” Ash breathed. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t know,” Misty snapped, glaring at Ash. 

“But it’s such an amazing opportunity!” Ash gasped, jumping up to his knees. 

“Yeah, but there’s no guarantee I even get the spot,” Misty scoffed.

“And you’ll never know if you don’t try,” Ash pushed. “Come on, Mist, you have to! This is like…your dream!”

“Yeah, but- “

She froze when a drop of water hit her on the nose. Glancing up at the sky, Misty realized that it was now full of dark clouds, accompanied by the rumbling sound of thunder. Pikachu and Marill ran up to their trainers, Pikachu’s cheeks sparking with electricity.

“Man, I didn’t know it was supposed to rain!” Ash groaned, having looked up at the sky himself.

“We should probably start heading back to your house, before it pours,” Misty sighed, pulling out Marill’s poke ball and returning the water type.

As though it had heard her, the sky opened up, rain crashing down to the Earth in sheets. Misty grimaced as she jumped to her feet, fruitlessly trying to shield herself with her arm. Ash noticed this out of the corner of his eye and, without a second thought, removed his hat and placed it on Misty’s head, causing her to lower her arm.

“That’ll help, just a little,” Ash commented with a small smile, holding his hand out towards Misty. 

Misty hesitated before taking Ash’s hand. “But now you’re going to get all wet!”

“I’ll be fine!” Ash assured her before giving her arm a small yank and pulling her down the hill. “Don’t worry about me; just hurry!”

As Ash dragged Misty along, his hat nearly went tumbling off her head. She reached up to grab it, keeping it securely in place and carefully watching Ash from beneath the dripping brim. He surged confidently ahead, the pouring rain doing nothing to deter his spirit. His grip on her hand remained tight, indicating that he had no plans to let her go. It should’ve made Misty feel secure. It should’ve made her heart swell.

Instead, all it did was make her feel guilty.


	6. We Can Survive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in this chapter! I know I've been updating on Sundays, but today is pretty dreary so it gave me lots of time to edit and upload!

Somehow, it was still raining outside.

Misty watched the droplets trickle down Ash’s bedroom window, the gloomy gray sky not allowing a single ray of sunlight through. It hadn’t stopped raining since she and Ash had gotten drenched on the hill the day before. As soon as they’d returned to Ash’s house, soaked to the bone, Delia had ordered Misty to stay the night, not wanting her to travel all the way back to Cerulean in such a storm.

_She really is like a mom to me._

Misty smiled sadly to herself as she finally looked away from the window. It must’ve rained all through the night, too. She’d barely gotten any sleep, and she’d just spent most of the night listening to the howling wind and pounding rain while her mind raced.

She peered down at the floor, where Ash was still fast asleep in a heap of blankets. After Delia’s insistence that Misty remain in Pallet Town, Ash had offered her his bed; a common occurrence when the two had traveled together and made occasional stopovers at his home. This time, however, it was different. They were no longer children, and both knew that their feelings for one another had changed. Now, when Ash made the offer, he’d blushed quite furiously and barely been able to get his words out, which had bewildered his mother. Fortunately for him, Misty had stepped in and accepted the offer…without having fully heard it.

Her brain was barely able to process that fact…that they both liked one another as more than just friends. And yet, every time she nearly managed to, the thought of her potential Elite Four interview intruded and sent her right back to square one.

_How is it that I finally get what I’ve been wanting for years and I still can’t be happy?_

“Mmm…”

Misty blinked and returned her attention to the floor, where she saw Ash beginning to stir from his slumber. He rubbed at his eyes before slowly sitting up, the blankets falling off of his body and landing listlessly over Pikachu’s still sleeping form beside him. Ash took a long look out the window, muttering, “still raining? Man…”

Then, as if he’d felt her eyes on the back of his head, Ash looked up and over his shoulder, smiling kindly at the young woman in his bed. “Morning, Mist!”

Misty couldn’t help but to return his grin, albeit a bit more softly. “Good morning.”

“Didja sleep okay?” Ash asked, shuffling around in his blankets so he could face Misty head on.

“Yeah,” Misty lied. “I _know_ you did.”

Ash blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. “I must’ve been snoring again, huh? Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize,” Misty replied before smoothly adding, “I’m used to hearing your big mouth day and night, after all.”

Ash scowled before firing back, “same goes for you!” His expression quickly changed, however; his mouth twisting and his eyes wandering upwards.

“Something on your mind?” Misty snickered.

Glancing back down at her, Ash asked, “are we still allowed to tease each other if we like each other?”

“Of course,” Misty scoffed, not even taking a second to think about it. “That’s how you and I work! Besides, we’re both too good at it to stop.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m good at it?”

“Not as good as me, but yeah.”

Ash rolled his eyes, which earned a much heartier laugh from Misty. But then another thought struck him, and he exclaimed, “hey, we never got to finish talking about the Elite Four stuff!”

Misty’s smile quickly faded. “Oh, right.”

“I still think it’s so cool that they want to interview you,” Ash sighed, leaning back on his hands. “That means they must know what an awesome gym leader you are!”

“I guess,” Misty grumbled. “I just don’t know if it’s the right fit for me.”

Ash tilted his head. “You’re being kind of weird about this whole thing. I don’t get it. How come?”

Misty shrugged. “I already told you. I’m not really sure if it’s worth all the trouble.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s actually true,” Ash calmly argued, causing Misty’s eyes to widen. “I feel like something else is bothering you. Am I right?”

That simple question caused Misty’s mouth to run dry. She wasn’t used to Ash being so attuned to her feelings; it was kind of sweet, but in this exact moment, she wished he was as dense as he’d used to be.

“I guess I am, because you look like you just saw a ghost type,” Ash murmured.

“What?!” Misty cried. “No, I don’t!”

At this, Ash started to laugh. “Hey, you don’t know what your face looks like!” Slowly settling down, he continued more calmly, “You know, you can tell me anything, Mist. We’re best friends before anything else, after all!”

Misty bristled. There was no use in trying to hide it from Ash now. Without her even realizing it, he had become far too aware of what was going on around him, and if she just continued to hide the truth from him, he would know, and he’d keep bugging her until she finally told him the truth.

Hunching over, Misty shifted her gaze away from Ash and quietly admitted, “I’m scared.”

“Scared?” Ash repeated, his expression softening. “Of what?”

Misty sighed and shook her head. “I can’t stop thinking…what if I get this spot…and then I have to battle you?”

Ash blinked and remained silent. Misty assumed he was thinking about this possibility, trying to decide how he himself felt about such a potential situation. After all, he’d worked very hard himself to get to where he was. It was probably just as difficult for him to consider the possibility of having to go through one of his best friends, heck, his own crush, to reach the next step of his goal.

“So?”

And then he responded with _that._

Misty finally whipped her head around to stare at Ash. He looked about as unbothered as he’d sounded. “ _So?_ That’s all you’ve got?!”

“Yeah,” Ash replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. “Actually, I think it’d be pretty cool if we got to battle each other!”

Misty was stunned by his nonchalant, bordering on excited, reaction. “How could you possibly think that’s cool?!”

“Because every battle we ever have against one another really fires me up!” Ash cheered, pumping both of his fists. “Could you imagine if we got to have a battle in one of those huge stadiums with so many people watching us? It’d be electric!”

Ash’s loud voice combined with his use of the word “electric” finally stirred Pikachu from his slumber. The little yellow mouse yawned before stretching and looking up wearily at his trainer. “Kachu, Pikapi?”

The young man glanced down at the Pokémon and blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry, Pikachu! I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Pikachu still seemed a little frustrated, but when he instead turned his gaze onto Misty and noticed how aggravated _she_ looked, his mood shifted. He scurried up the ladder that led to the bed where she was seated, settling himself on the gym leader’s lap and rubbing against her. Although she was still unhappy, Misty couldn’t help but to smile at the caring electric type and began to scratch him behind the ears.

“Yeah, or it could be the worst thing that could happen to us,” Misty grumbled, reluctantly looking up from Pikachu and setting her concerned glare on Ash.

“Why?” Ash prodded. 

“Because what if I beat you?!” Misty cried. She couldn’t believe Ash had matured enough to sense that something was bothering her, but still not enough to see something even more obvious. “And I become the reason you don’t get to face the champion?!”

At this, Ash scoffed. “I think you’re thinking too far ahead, Mist. There are still three other Elite Four members who could stop me from doing that. I have to make sure I’m on top of my game if I want to beat such talented trainers! If I lose, it’s because I didn’t deserve to win. Besides, isn’t this just an interview? Who says they’re even going to hire you?”

Pikachu jolted up, staring slack jawed at his trainer. He might’ve been a Pokémon, but even he knew that was the wrong thing to say! Even if Ash wasn’t wrong, he had worded it _terribly._ Slowly looking over his shoulder, Pikachu immediately saw just how red Misty’s face had gotten, and how bent her brow had become.

“Oh, so you don’t think I’m good enough to get chosen?” Misty bit.

“What?!” Ash cried, shaking his head. “I didn’t say that! All I said was you _might_ not get it! Isn’t that the whole point of being interviewed?”

Misty growled lowly, and Pikachu timidly inched off of the gym leader’s lap. “I still don’t like that implication.”

Ash dramatically rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come across that way. But I don’t know how else to try and convince you that this is a good thing!” He held his tongue, waiting for Misty to respond, but she never did. After enough beats of relatively awkward silence, Ash continued, “I’ve got an idea. What if I go with you to the interview, and then - “

That seemingly innocuous offer was what finally got Misty to snap. “I don’t need the Indigo League champion to hold my hand; especially not when it comes to official League business!”

He wasn’t sure whether it was right or wrong, but Ash could feel all of his patience slipping away as he snapped, “Look, I don’t know what you want me to do, Misty. I already told you that I think you should go for it! I don’t have any problem battling you, and I don’t want to be the one to stop you from going after your dreams. But if you’re the one who’s going to keep getting in her own way, then I that I have no control over!”

Misty’s face somehow managed to get redder. In reality, she knew Ash was right. He wasn’t doing anything to stop her…it was all her, and her own intrusive thoughts and feelings. But at this point, she was so frustrated and so upset with the whole situation that she was no longer thinking straight. It was like no one was taking into consideration how she felt. Even if the idea of battling Ash was fine by everyone else, Ash included, it couldn’t assuage Misty’s own mind, and that was what was sending her spiraling out of control.

With a low growl, Misty climbed down the ladder of Ash’s bed and landed with an aggrieved _thud_ before storming towards her backpack in the corner.

“What are you doing?” Ash asked calmly.

“I’m leaving,” she replied simply, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Ash’s eyes widened. “You can’t leave right now! It’s _pouring_ out!” 

“I’ll be fine,” Misty huffed, turning and shooting Ash daggers. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“But I _do_ ,” Ash stressed, jumping to his feet. “Come on, Mist! I was just trying to help you.”

“Well, you didn’t do a very good job, now did you?” Misty bit.

“I don’t know what else to do!” Ash cried. 

“I just wanted you to understand my feelings!” Misty stormed. “I know you don’t think this is a big deal, but it is to me! Do you know how _guilty_ I would feel if I were to beat you? Or how _guilty_ I would feel if I went easy on you just so you could win? I care about you so much, Ash. As a friend…hell, as _more_ than a friend! Believe me, I _know_ this job isn’t a guarantee, but I would _love_ to get it…if only you weren’t the person I’d have to battle.”

Having spit all of that out, Misty brushed past Ash and out of his room, leaving the young league champion to scramble to his feet so he could follow after her. As soon as his trainer went running, Pikachu hopped down from the bed and scurried to the door but refused to pass the threshold. He had seen plenty of fights between Ash and Misty before, but this one was different, and he didn’t like it.

Misty stomped down the stairs, Ash closely trailing her. She made it to the front door and grabbed the knob, but Ash was quick to lean forward and hold his own hand against the door, managing to keep it closed. Misty growled and looked over her shoulder, her eyes dark and filled with tears.

“Just let me go,” she rumbled.

“Misty, please,” Ash implored, his desperation evident. “Don’t do this.”

She refused to drop her stern look, however, and Ash knew her well enough to know that now was the time for him to stop pushing. He lowered his arm, allowing Misty to open the door and run out into the pouring rain. Ash just stood in the doorway, watching her run off with her backpack held over her head as a poor umbrella until she was out of sight. Groaning, Ash closed the door and leaned against it, slowly sliding down until he was on the floor. Only then did Pikachu feel safe to descend the stairs and meet his trainer, sorrow written all over his fuzzy yellow face.

“Pikapi…” Pikachu murmured.

“That was a complete disaster,” Ash muttered, burying his face in his hands. “Even for me.”

* * *

Things were eerily silent at the Pokémon League headquarters on Indigo Plateau.

Misty had expected things to be bustling; after all, the Pokémon League did quite the booming business between not only the recently passed Indigo Conference, but also running the gyms and other battle tournaments across the region. Instead, she had walked into a quiet, subdued office building, where she seemed to be the only person wandering around. She couldn’t determine if this was because their biggest event had just passed, or this was simply what the corporate side of things were really like.

Ignoring the haunting feeling of her surroundings, Misty walked up to the elevator the front desk secretary had just directed her to and pressed the ‘up’ button. It arrived quickly, which she appreciated, and the gym leader stepped inside, now pressing the interior button that would take her to the fourth floor, where the same secretary had informed her Agatha’s office was located.

A part of Misty hoped that someone else would enter the elevator and take the ride along with her, but no one did. As the doors closed, Misty rolled her eyes and stared up desolately at the ceiling, cursing the continued silence. With nothing else around to distract her, she was beginning to get lost in her own thoughts, which was far from appreciated at the moment. 

She _hated_ the way she’d treated Ash. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair to him. But she also hated feeling like she’d been backed into a corner. Whenever that happened, Misty’s immediate response was to shut herself down and everyone else out. It definitely wasn’t the best way to deal with things, as Daisy had reminded her time and time again, but it was a very hard habit to break, particularly when it was something she’d done since childhood.

_I got myself into this mess, so eventually, I’m going to have to get myself out. Maybe when all of this is over-_

A loud ding startled Misty and finally tore her away from her thoughts. The elevator doors opened, indicating that she had reached her destination. Letting out a brief sigh of relief, Misty exited the elevator and checked the directory that hung on the wall, looking for the exact location of Agatha’s office. Once she’d found it, she headed down the left side of the hallway, until she came across the corner room where Agatha’s name and title were plastered on the wooden door.

When she walked in, Misty was a little surprised to find that the initial room wasn’t actually Agatha’s office, but more so a waiting area of sorts with chairs lined up against the walls and an unfamiliar woman sitting at a wooden desk. Just a few feet away from her was yet another door, this one Misty assuming actually led to Agatha’s office.

“Good morning!” The kindly secretary greeted.

“Good morning,” Misty returned, giving the woman a small nod. “My name is Misty Waterflower, I have an interview scheduled with Agatha.”

“Of course, we’ve been expecting you!” The woman trilled. “I’ll let Agatha know you’re here. In the meantime, you can just take a seat and make yourself at home until she calls you back.”

“Thank you very much,” Misty breathed, smiling shakily at the secretary before backtracking to one of the vacant chairs.

It felt like forever until door across the room suddenly opened, causing Misty, who had been tracing shapes on the carpet in her mind to avoid it going elsewhere, to snap her head up. She made immediate eye contact with a woman who, unlike the secretary, seemed distantly familiar to her: stick-straight honey blonde hair, hazel eyes, slender face…

“Misty?” The woman asked.

“Um, yes, that’s me!” Misty quickly replied, jumping to her feet.

The other woman smiled softly, bewildering Misty. “You’re friends with our latest Indigo Conference champion, aren’t you?”

“Oh,” Misty breathed, yesterday’s argument with Ash creeping back into her mind. “I am.”

“I recognize you from the championship,” she added, hoping that would clear up any confusion.

Misty’s eyes widened. That’s where she knew her from! “Ah, right! You’re Mr. Goodshow’s assistant.”

“Zanna,” she reintroduced herself, giving Misty a small bow. “A pleasure to formally meet you.”

“You as well,” Misty replied, returning the courtesy.

“Agatha is waiting for you inside,” Zanna continued, motioning through the open doorway in which she was standing. “I’ll take you to her.”

“Thank you,” Misty breathed, nervously following after the woman.

She had never had much interaction with Agatha, if any. Gym leaders in general didn’t tend to mingle with members of the Elite Four, even at league events. The lack of familiarity was giving Misty extra trepidation, considering Agatha’s status as a well-seasoned, well known trainer.

But as soon as Zanna opened the door, there she was: the elderly, graying blonde woman sitting stoically behind an ashen marble desk. She had apparently been reading over something before her door opened, but as soon as Zanna walked in, Agatha lifted her gaze, an expectant look on her face.

“Miss Waterflower is here to see you,” Zanna informed the older woman.

“Perfect,” Agatha droned, little emotion behind it. “Thank you, Zanna.”

The assistant smiled at the Elite Four member before turning her attention onto Misty, giving the young woman a slight nod before seeing herself out. Misty, on the other hand, just stood in place, unsure of how to proceed.

“No need to block the doorway,” Agatha gruffly piped up, causing Misty’s heart to speed up. “Please, have a seat.”

Agatha motioned towards a couch positioned against the office’s left side wall. Nodding silently, Misty walked over to the couch and lowered herself onto it, her timid gaze meeting Agatha’s steely one.

“Your resume as a gym leader is quite impressive,” Agatha noted, returning to the paper that was on her desk. “The loss to victory ratio really caught my eye. You don’t like to lose, do you?”

Misty couldn’t help but to smirk at that. “Not really, no.”

The old woman’s head suddenly snapped up, visibly startling Misty. “And yet you lack the confidence to back it up.”

“…I’m sorry?” Misty squeaked, unsure of how Agatha had come to that conclusion.

Agatha pressed her hands together and leaned back in her oversized black leather chair. “Something is holding you back. I can see it in your eyes. Between you and me, I think you’d make an excellent member of the Elite Four. You clearly have the talent. But talent isn’t everything, young lady. You’ll never be able to reach your full potential if you can’t overcome your own personal shortcomings.”

Misty bit her lower lip. This suddenly felt much less like an interview and a lot more like an intervention.

“Care to tell me what it is?”

Misty looked back up, her eyes locking with Agatha’s. “What?”

Agatha sighed, as though she were annoyed from having to explain. “What’s holding you back. Is it something serious? A family matter?”

“Oh…not especially,” Misty admitted rather sheepishly. “It’s something personal to me, but I think most other people might find it a bit silly.”

Agatha’s brow crinkled ever so slightly. “I see. And have you spoken to anyone about this… _personal_ issue?” 

Misty nodded. “I have, and I’ve gotten good advice on how to handle it. But for some reason, I just can’t convince myself to follow it. It all makes sense, but my emotions always seem to get in the way.”

“So, it’s a matter of heart over head,” Agatha mused. “Understandable, but a bit foolish.”

“Foolish?!” Misty breathed.

Grunting, Agatha continued, “following your heart is all well and good in your own life, but when you’re a member of the Elite Four, you can’t operate on those grounds. Having any kind of doubt in your mind could lead to serious repercussions for your fellow members. And it’s a big risk to the league as a whole.”

Misty sucked in a breath, unsure of how to respond to that. Apparently, she didn’t have to, because Agatha wasn’t finished.

“I really do think you’d be an excellent fit to take my place,” Agatha sighed, shaking her head. “But this is something I simply can’t overlook. If I were to just hand you this position without knowing you can overcome your own self-doubt, then it wouldn’t be a wise decision.”

“I understand,” Misty muttered. After a painfully awkward pause, Misty forced herself to ask, “So…that’s a no, then?”

Agatha frowned and refuted, “it’s not a no. It’s a wait-and-see. I’ll get back to you in a few days.”

Misty frowned, but eventually nodded her head. She knew the interview had pretty much been a bust (considering it hadn’t even really _been_ an interview…) and was just grateful she hadn’t been rejected on the spot, even if she knew it was likely coming sooner rather than later. It was abundantly clear that Agatha was disappointed by what she had been met with, and there was no way such a respectable trainer would ever go with someone who didn’t match up with her ideals.

And Misty knew she had no one to blame for it but herself.

* * *

The trip back to Cerulean had been anything but pleasant.

There was so much weighing on Misty’s mind. Her fight with Ash was still at the forefront, but now that was doing battle with the disastrous meeting she’d just left with Agatha. It really felt like she was losing from every angle, and there was nothing Misty could think of that would take her mind off of it.

She trudged up to the gym, taking out her key to unlock the door. She knew her sisters wouldn’t be around, which was fine with her since having to face them right now was the _last_ thing she wanted to do. For the first time since leaving the Indigo Plateau, having a bit of alone time didn’t sound so bad, especially if she could spend it taking a couple of laps in the pool to try and clear her mind.

But as soon as she stepped in front of the doors, they automatically slid open, causing her heart to shoot up into her throat. Were her sisters _actually_ inside?

_No way,_ Misty thought begrudgingly to herself. _Those three would_ never _hang around here voluntarily._

With a heavy dose of trepidation, she walked into the lobby, looking around to see who could possibly be waiting for her. It was as soon as she laid her eyes on the lounge area to her right that she saw who it was, and she froze on sight.

Ash was sitting on one of the couches, Pikachu sleeping beside him. He had a sheepish smile on his face, looking almost embarrassed to be there.

“Hope I didn’t scare you,” he murmured. “Your sisters let me in.”

Misty didn’t even care that this meant her sisters were apparently fine with letting people into the gym unsupervised. All she could do was stare at Ash, hardly able to believe that he was actually sitting there waiting for her.

_After the way I’ve treated him, the way I’ve behaved…he’s still willing to come here and see me._

Ash became a little concerned when Misty said nothing, so he slowly got to his feet, carefully approaching her. As he got closer, Misty realized that he was blushing. “I’m sorry. I know things didn’t end well yesterday, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you…or your interview today. How’d it go?”

Misty tried to answer, but her breath caught. It suddenly became much harder to breathe, and as the frustration overtook her, her eyes began to fill with tears.

Before Ash could do or say anything else, Misty rushed towards him and began to sob uncontrollably. Although he was initially taken off guard, Ash quickly wrapped his arms around the gym leader and held her close, allowing her to cry on his shoulder without saying a word.


	7. Sharing a Dream

Ash had decided it was best to let Misty decide when she was ready to speak to him. He was grateful that she had been willing to make any kind of contact with him…even if it _was_ in the midst of her crying her eyes out.

Although he wasn’t sure what had gotten her so upset. It couldn’t have possibly been their argument from yesterday…could it? Ash knew Misty was under a tremendous amount of stress, so as much as he had disliked having the fight with her in the first place, he didn’t really take it personally. But maybe Misty didn’t think that way and was taking it too hard. She definitely tended to overthink things more than him, stressed out or not. He wanted to reassure her he wasn’t upset, but he also didn’t think it was the best idea to interrupt her while she was getting all of her pent-up emotions out of her system.

So, he just kept his mouth shut and held her in his arms, letting her wail without interruption.

Eventually, however, Misty began to slow down. Before long, she was reduced to nothing more than sniffles, and finally, pulled herself away from Ash.

“Sorry,” she apologized softly, her eyes and nose visibly red.

“Don’t be,” Ash murmured, smiling encouragingly at her. “Something tells me you needed that.”

Misty frowned and slowly nodded. “It’s been…a lot.”

“I know,” Ash replied.

Looking down at her hands, Misty continued, “I…I want to apologize for yesterday. You were just trying to help me, but I was acting really stupid and being terrible to you for no good reason.”

“No, you weren’t,” Ash calmly argued.

Misty glanced back up with an incredulous expression on her face. “Come on, now’s not the time to be all sweet to me. You can admit that I was a total nightmare and I wouldn’t get offended, because it’s true.”

Ash shook his head. “Having that fight sucked, I’ll give you that. But I honestly think we’ve had worse…no matter what Pikachu tries to tell me.”

Misty shifted her eyes down towards the sleeping Pokémon and giggled lightly before sobering up. “Still…that doesn’t excuse the way I reacted, and I’m really sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

Ash grinned so wide it looked like it could’ve cracked his face in half. “Of course! Don’t even think about it.”

Misty smiled weakly, rubbing at her eyes. “Thank you; that means a lot. At least no matter what happens, I know I still have you.”

“You’ll always have me,” Ash confirmed with a chuckle. “Promise!” After winking playfully at her, he tentatively asked, “so…how did that interview go?”

Her smile suddenly turned a lot wryer, much to Ash’s confusion. “It was a total disaster. But, at the end of the day, I guess that’s what I deserved.”

“Hey, don’t say that!” Ash cried. “What makes you think it was so bad?”

Wincing, Misty explained, “Agatha called me out on my insecurity right away. She could tell just by looking at me that I was bothered by something. And she basically said that if I was going to let something silly like that distract me, then I was going to be doing the entire Elite Four a disservice.”

Ash wrinkled his nose. “That’s kinda harsh, isn’t it?”

Misty shrugged. “I guess so…but who am I to argue? She’s not exactly wrong.”

“Yeah, but she could’ve been a little nicer about it,” Ash grumbled.

Misty smirked. She knew Ash was just getting a little protective of her. It was very sweet, and she’d be lying if she didn’t say it was making her heart flutter. “Either way, it all comes back to me. I didn’t walk into the interview with my usual confidence, and it came back to bite me. I let this whole situation get the better of me, and that was a big mistake.”

Ash frowned but said nothing else. He didn’t want to argue with Misty and rile her up all over again. Besides, as much as he wanted to assuage her, he knew she had a point.

“Did she say when she’d let you know about the job?” Ash asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“She said in a couple of days, but I’m almost positive she won’t be picking me,” Misty sighed. “And you know what? That’s okay. If I was _this_ worried about getting the job and having to face you in a battle, then I obviously didn’t deserve to get it. Maybe I just need more time to train and get myself ready for such a big responsibility.”

Ash smiled weakly at her. They both knew full well that an opening in the Elite Four didn’t come around very often. This might have been Misty’s only shot at the title. But she really did seem at peace with herself, and at the end of the day, that was all Ash wanted for her.

“Besides, now I can fully focus on cheering you on!” Misty added, regaining Ash’s attention. “After all, you _need_ my coaching if you want to go far in the champion’s league.”

Ash smirked and playfully rolled his eyes. “You really think so, huh?”

Misty giggled and nodded. “You said it yourself: _I_ was the one who kept you going during the Indigo Conference!”

“You sure do have a long memory,” Ash quipped, his eyes glinting with mischievousness. “I’ll have to keep that in mind!”

Her own eyes twinkling, Misty seemed prepared to respond with something just as playful, but she was ultimately interrupted by an unexpected, piercing scream. 

The sudden sound caused Ash to fall right off the couch where they were sitting, and jolted Pikachu from his formerly sound sleep. Misty, meanwhile, had jumped to her feet, her face wild with panic.

“What was that?!” She gasped.

“I don’t know!” Ash cried, scrambling to get up from the floor. “I thought we were the only people in here!”

“Apparently not…” Misty murmured.

Another scream, just about identical to the first, sliced through the air once more, causing Misty to charge towards the battle area. Once Ash had managed to stand back up, and Pikachu had jumped onto the man’s shoulder, he followed right after the gym leader, fearing for her safety. After all, this wouldn’t have been the first time that intruders had gotten into the gym.

“I think I should tell Misty to invest in a better security system,” Ash muttered to his partner Pokémon.

“Chu…” Pikachu agreed.

As soon as Ash crossed the threshold into the battle area, however, he was surprised to see none other than _Daisy_ ducking down in front of the gym’s bleachers, hunched over on the floor with her hands pressed against her head.

“Daisy, seriously?!” Misty stormed. “You scared me and Ash half to death! What are you doing here?”

“I forgot my bag!” Daisy cried, barely looking up at her younger sister. “I had to come back here and get it; I couldn’t go the rest of the night without my phone!”

“Wait…how’d you get in here?” Ash followed up. “You guys let me in; I watched you all walk away! And we,” he motioned between himself and a still agitated Misty, “ _definitely_ didn’t see anybody come in through the front.”

“I came in through the back door,” Daisy grumbled. “I knew you and Misty were probably having some kind of super intense, emotional conversation, and as much as Lily and Violet wanted me to eavesdrop, I didn’t want to bother you! I was _trying_ to be discreet!”

“Yeah, we could tell by all the screaming,” Misty muttered, trying to ignore the fact her two other sisters were once again trying to intrude on her personal life. “What was that for, anyway?”

“And why are you balled up on the floor like that?” Ash added.

“Ugh, you both ask too many questions!” Daisy cried, finally unfurling herself but still remaining crouched low. “I left my bag on the bleachers, so I was just going to sneak in and out to grab it, but then I was attacked by a couple of ghost Pokémon!”

“Ghost Pokémon?” Misty repeated, sounding incredulous. 

Ash hummed and looked around the room. “I don’t see anything.”

“Duh, because they’re ghosts!” Daisy snapped.

“Well then, how did _you_ see them?” Misty questioned.

“Because they were literally harassing me!” Daisy bit. “Even I know that ghost Pokémon can make themselves invisible if they don’t want to be seen!”

“I bet Daisy’s screaming scared them off,” Ash surmised.

“They wouldn’t be the first,” Misty sighed.

“Misty, quit making jokes!” Daisy fumed, finally standing up straight. “This is a serious problem! There are _wild Pokémon_ in the gym!”

“Dais, no offense, but I don’t see any sign of there being stray Pokémon in here,” Misty replied, crossing her arms. “If they were really attacking you, wouldn’t there be some kind of visible damage?”

Daisy looked exasperated. “They’re _GHOSTS!_ ”

“Right, who can still use attacks,” Misty reminded her. “A ghost type attack would still leave behind _some_ kind of damage.”

“But they weren’t using their attacks on _me_ ,” Daisy stressed. “They were just coming after me! Floating around my head and scaring me and stuff.”

Misty glanced over at Ash, trying to gauge his reaction. He may have been dense about a lot of things, but Pokémon were not one of them. She trusted his knowledge on them, and figured he’d probably have a good idea of whether or not he thought Daisy had actually seen something like a bunch of ghost types.

“I guess it’s possible they were in here,” Ash murmured, tilting his head. “But I don’t know if they were trying to bother you. Ghost types do tend to be pretty playful, after all. If they were actually in the gym, they might’ve just been trying to get Daisy’s attention.”

Misty smiled. She knew she could count on Ash to try and talk her sister down! On the matter of wild Pokémon, at least. “See? Ash knows what he’s talking about! You’re probably best off just taking your bag back home now and forgetting about the whole thing.”

Daisy, however, was not convinced. Narrowing her eyes, she growled, “I’m telling you what I saw, and those ghost Pokémon were _not_ trying to play!”

Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. “I think you’re being a _little_ ridiculous.”

“I am not!”

While Misty and Daisy went back and forth with one another, Ash continued to think about the matter at hand. He didn’t really believe any Pokémon was inherently bad, so he also didn’t believe a random group of Pokémon would truly pester Daisy for no apparent reason. Unless, of course, they felt they had a reason to…

As he continued to ponder it, Ash felt something cold run against the back of his neck, sending a shiver up his spine. Frowning, he looked over at his shoulder and murmured, “Pikachu, don’t do that! You scared me.”

Pikachu, for what it was worth, appeared positively confused. “Pika?”

Ash blinked. “Didn’t you just lick the back of my neck?”

“Pi…”

The young man paused, his heart speeding up a little. “Okay, so…if it wasn’t you…what was it…?”

He slowly turned his head further, and locked eyes with the perpetrator, his breath catching in his throat.

“M-Mist…”

“Not now, Ash,” Misty sighed. “I’m _still_ trying to convince Daisy she’s crazy.”

“Um…I don’t think she is.”

Groaning, Misty pleaded, “come on, you were on my side a minute ago! And you actually made a logical argument! Don’t turn on me now.”

“I’m not!” Ash cried. “Because I was wrong!”

Misty was about to ask why he would say that, but as she spun around to face him, she realized why he was relenting and let out her own shuttered breath, taking a big step back towards Daisy. The blonde looked up, and as soon as she saw what both Ash and Misty had seen, she let out another ear-splitting scream.

“I told you!” She shouted, grabbing onto Misty’s shoulders and shaking the stunned red head. “I told you there were ghost types in here!”

A gaseous purple figure with sharply narrowed eyes and a wicked grin shot up from behind Ash and into the air, rising until it was floating above the trio’s heads.

“Haunter,” Ash breathed, sounding quite mystified despite the fact that his nerves were fraying.

“How did it get in here?!” Misty cried, shrugging her sister’s hands off of her.

“How many times do I have to tell you because it’s a _ghost?!_ ” Daisy snapped.

Haunter stuck its tongue out and began laughing wildly, causing Misty to inch closer to Ash instead. As the gas Pokémon guffawed, three other hazy purple figures materialized around it with equally sinister looks on their faces.

“Gastly?” Misty questioned. “This is so strange…”

“Oh, please don’t tell me the gym was built on some kind of ancient burial ground!” Daisy wailed. Ash and Misty slowly looked back towards her with unimpressed looks, leading Daisy to huff, “what? I watch a lot of TV!”

Haunter laughed again, and this time, the three Gastly flew forward, firing off a series of shadow balls at the humans.

“Look out!” Ash cried, grabbing onto Misty’s wrist and yanking her out of the way. Daisy, on the other hand, shrieked and jumped over the front of the bleachers, hiding behind the short wall.

All three managed to avoid getting hit, the shadow balls colliding with the floor and leaving everyone unscathed. Pikachu growled from Ash’s shoulder and jumped down protectively in front of his trainer and Misty, his cheeks sparking as he glared at the menacing ghost types.

“Great!” Ash cheered, releasing a flustered Misty. “Let’s fend them off, buddy!”

“Hold on!” Misty cried, regaining Ash’s attention.

“What?” He asked.

“This is my gym, I’ll be the one to protect it,” Misty declared, retrieving her own poke ball.

“Come on, Mist,” Ash sighed. “At least let me and Pikachu help out! Four against one really isn’t fair. If there’s two of us, at least we can cut them in half.”

Misty seemed reluctant, but after a brief moment of consideration, she let out a puff of air and relented, “fine. We’ll work together.”

Ash grinned as Misty tossed her poke ball, crying, “Psyduck, let’s go!”

The duck Pokémon appeared beside Pikachu, quacking confusedly. As soon as he realized the four ghost type Pokémon were grinning down at him, however, he let out an alarmed cry, causing Pikachu to sigh.

“Maybe not the best choice…” Ash chuckled nervously.

Misty growled and clenched her fist. “It’ll be fine. Psyduck, use water pulse!”

Although he was still nervous, Psyduck used his wings to fire off a ball of water at the ghost Pokémon, who easily avoided the attack.

“Or not…” Misty sighed out of frustration. Ash sweat dropped, but quickly regained his composure, refusing to let the ghost types get the better of them.

“Let’s go! Pikachu, use quick attack!”

The electric mouse broke out into a sprint before jumping up at Haunter…and slipping right through him.

“Huh?!” Ash gasped before realization hit him. “Oh right…normal type moves have no effect on ghost types!”

“Nice job, _Mr. Champion_ ,” Misty bit, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I wasn’t thinking!” Ash cried.

“Do you _ever?_ ” Misty snapped.

“Excuse me but could you two please save your lovers’ quarrel for another time?!” Daisy shouted, having just popped her head up from behind the bleacher wall.

“It’s not a lovers’ quarrel,” Misty muttered, though she sounded much less convincing than usual. 

“Psyduck, psycho cut!”

“Psycho cut?!” Ash exclaimed, whipping around just in time to witness Psyduck slashing Haunter across the face with blades made of psychic power. “How’d you manage that one?!”

“I taught it to him,” Misty replied, not taking her eyes off of the battle. “He doesn’t even need to have a headache to use it!”

Ash made a noise of interest. He knew Misty was a talented trainer, but he found that to be particularly impressive, knowing that Psyduck was not the easiest Pokémon to work with. Still, he knew he couldn’t let Misty try to take on the ghost Pokémon by himself. He needed to get over his previous misstep and order another, more effective attack.

“Pikachu, iron tail!”

His partner managed to strike the trio of Ghastly with his glowing tail, in perfect succession. All three were left reeling, earning an impish grin from Ash.

“Nice work!” He complimented his Pokémon. “Now, use electroweb!”

Still in the air, Pikachu swung his tail and fired off a web of electricity, netting the three Ghastly and Haunter inside of it. The ghost types struggled against it, trying to get past the crackling netting, but were continually electrocuted in their attempts.

“Misty, go!” Ash cried.

“Psyduck, use hydro pump!” Misty ordered, not missing a beat.

The duck Pokémon opened his beak and fired off a heavy flow of water, of which the Ghastly and Haunter could not escape from thanks to Pikachu’s electroweb holding them back. The water combined with the electricity caused double the amount of damage to the ghost types, causing them to cry out in pain before falling listlessly to the ground.

“Awesome!” Ash cheered, turning towards Misty with a bright smile on his face. “That was great!”

“It was,” Misty agreed. Her own smile far more subdued than Ash’s, but she still found herself positively enchanted by just how ecstatic Ash was.

Down by their feet, Pikachu and Psyduck exchanged cheerful looks, giving one another a high five for their efforts.

“Ugh, thank goodness,” Daisy sighed, draping herself over the bleacher wall. “That could’ve become such a disaster if we didn’t step in!”

“Who’s _we?_ ” Misty asked, raising an eyebrow. “Ash and I took care of all the battling while _you_ hid in the bleachers the whole time!”

“I was sending you positive vibes from back here,” Daisy calmly argued. “So, I was part of the battle in spirit!”

“Right…” Misty sighed, rolling her eyes. Ash chuckled at the exchange, leading Misty to show off a much wryer smirk.

“Ah, now _that_ was the Misty I was expecting to meet.”

Misty’s eyes snapped open as she whipped her head around to face the doorway to the battle area. Standing there was someone who she was not expecting in the slightest but had become quite familiar with over the course of the last few hours.

“A-Agatha?”

The graying blonde smirked and stepped forward, using her carved wooden cane to assist her. “In the flesh.”

“But…what are you doing here?” Misty asked nervously. “I thought you said you’d let me know about your decision in a few days.”

“I know what I said,” Agatha commented. She said it plainly; there was no snark or sarcasm in her tone. “But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized just how unsatisfied with our conversation I was. After all, there was a reason you were at the top of my list to interview for my position. And the fact that I didn’t see any of it during your interview was disappointing. I knew I wasn’t seeing you at your best, and that was what I wanted.”

“Oh,” Misty murmured, still not fully understanding what Agatha was getting at. “So…did you come here for another interview?”

After a short pause, Agatha replied, “not quite.”

Reaching into the small handbag that was slung over her shoulder, the older woman retrieved four poke balls and held them out towards Gastly and Haunter, enveloping the Pokémon in a swathe of red light and returning them to their rightful spheres.

Misty was stunned, and without thinking, Ash blurted out, “wait…those are _your_ Pokémon?!”

“Indeed,” Agatha confirmed before turning her head and smirking at him. “Hello, young champion.”

Ash suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn, bringing an embarrassed blush to his face. Sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, he managed to eek out a nervous, “um…hello!”

“Oh, thank _Arceus_ this place isn’t haunted,” Daisy groaned, holding a hand over her heart.

Agatha appeared bewildered, to which Misty quickly pleaded, “ignore her; she’s crazy.”

Daisy glared at the back of her sister’s head, but otherwise kept quiet. Agatha, on the other hand, must have found some amusement in Misty’s quip, as her already rare smirk managed to widen.

“What I saw here today was far more indicative of your true self than what I saw back in my office,” Agatha noted, heeding Misty’s advice.

The gym leader raised an eyebrow. “You mean mine and Ash’s battle against your ghost type Pokémon?”

“Indeed.”

Misty frowned. “But that’s the thing. I didn’t battle them on my own. I had help. From the Indigo League champion, no less.”

“There’s nothing wrong with receiving some help every now and again,” Agatha assured her. “Besides, I already know that you and this young man have been friends for a very long time; it has nothing to do with his current title or anything of the sort. No offense, of course.”

She had directed that last statement to Ash, who visibly stiffened up. “Heh, none taken!”

“The two of you worked excellently together,” Agatha continued, glancing back over at Misty. “And, perhaps even more importantly, I was able to see your true colors. You’re determined, you’re strong, you think on your feet, and perhaps most importantly of all, you aren’t afraid to lean on your friends when you need them.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Misty could see that Ash was smiling sweetly at her. Willing to take the risk in front of Agatha, Misty ever so slightly inclined her head and gave him her own smile, which only led to Ash’s widening.

“With all that being said,” Agatha concluded, regaining Misty’s attention. “I would like to offer you the Elite Four position.”

Ash and Daisy both gasped, but Misty just stood still, needing extra time to process what Agatha had just said. “Wait…really? You…you’d really offer me the job?”

Agatha confidently nodded her head. “Yes. You’re exactly the kind of trainer who I want to take my place.”

Misty was still in shock, but Ash was very much present. Jumping in front of her, he cheered, “Misty, this is _so_ amazing! You’ve got to take it!”

She looked up at him, biting her lower lip. “You really think so, huh?”

“Of course!” Ash exclaimed. “You just heard everything Agatha said; you’re perfect for the job! And it’s what you’ve always wanted. Nothing would make me happier than knowing that you were able to achieve your dream!”

Misty smiled softly. Typical Ash. He was following his own dream, and closer to it than ever, but all he could talk about was her. And _her_ dream. It was part of why she had such strong feelings for him. Ash was an amazing guy, and an even better friend. But still, his dream was just as important to her as her own was. She wanted to be just as good of a friend to Ash as he was to her. After all, if they both believed in each other, no matter what happened, they would always have each other.

And so, Misty looked away from Ash, towards an expectant Agatha, and offered her an appreciative grin.

“Thank you, Agatha. I really appreciate it! And…I think I know what I want to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, you thought I was going to tell you Misty's decision without a cliffhanger? Not a chance!
> 
> So, what are you thinking? Does Misty accept the position or not? The epilogue is coming up!


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay, everyone, but it's finally here: the epilogue! And, to reward you all for your patience, it's the longest chapter to date!

Ash sat in the locker room of Indigo Plateau Stadium, trying to get himself to relax.

Battles always managed to hype him up, and this one was no different. In fact, it might have gotten him even _more_ excited. At least, that's why he assumed he had so many knots in his stomach.

Pikachu, who had been quietly sitting beside him, seemed to sense his trainer's nerves flare up, as he quickly leapt into the young man's lap and rubbed against him. Ash looked down and smiled, scratching the mouse between his ears. "Thanks, buddy. I'll be alright!"

He had already beaten two of the Elite Four members and was halfway to facing off with the champion. But he couldn't let that distract him; he still needed to focus on getting through the final two Elite Four trainers.

Lorelei and Bruno hadn't been easy tasks by any stretch of the imagination. Ash had always imagined what it would be like to battle the Elite Four in an official match, and he had quickly learned it was just as difficult, if not _more_ so, than the unofficial ones he'd had before in his youth. The fervor of the crowd definitely added to the challenge, and after each of his last two battles, Ash was sure he _and_ his Pokémon had never been so exhausted.

It was crazy to think that from here on out, things would only get more difficult.

"Knock, knock!"

Ash looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening. "H-hey! Are…are you even supposed to be here?"

His visitor giggled and slunk into the locker room. "Probably not, but who's going to stop me? You would never tattle on me, would you, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

His lips curled up into a smile. "Of course not, Mist."

She laughed again, this time much more strongly. Pikachu hopped right off of his trainer's lap and into Misty's arms instead, much to her delight and his chagrin.

"Even before one of my biggest battles, you're still the popular one," Ash scoffed, indignantly turning his head away.

"Don't be jealous," Misty teased, nuzzling the top of Pikachu's head. "Besides, it's a big battle for me too!"

"Yeah, I know," Ash conceded, his smile becoming droller. "You nervous?"

Misty winked at him. "A lady never tells!"

Ash groaned and rolled his eyes. "Misty!"

"Okay, okay," Misty laughed, taking a seat next to Ash. "Yeah, I'm nervous. _Really_ nervous. After all, it's not every day you get to battle your best friend in front of a giant audience."

Ash couldn't help but to smirk and raise an eyebrow. "Best friend?"

Blushing a bit, Misty asked, "I thought 'boyfriend' freaked you out."

"What?!" Ash gasped. "No, it doesn't! Who said that?!"

"Your face," Misty teased, gently poking Ash's cheek. "Every time someone says it, you look like you're going to pass out!"

Now Ash was sporting a blush that deeply rivaled Misty's. "I don't have control over that…"

"I know," Misty giggled. "That's why it's funny! Don't worry; you'll get used to it eventually."

"I hope so," Ash murmured, casting his eyes downward.

Misty smirked and leaned in closer to him. "Maybe _this_ will help."

Ash couldn't ask what she had meant before her lips were locked against his. Almost instantly, Ash closed his eyes and kissed her right back, raising his hand and gently placing it on Misty's shoulder.

That had taken some getting used to for Ash in the beginning, but now, he quite enjoyed it. Misty even told him he was a good kisser, which definitely didn't hurt. His only hesitation was kissing in front of people, which Misty understood and had been very patient with. If they were alone, however, Ash never wavered, and that was more than fine by her.

When she pulled away, Ash pouted, causing her to snicker. "If we keep _that_ up any longer, we'll miss the match."

"I could live with that…" Ash sheepishly murmured.

Misty's eyes widened. "No way! Thinking about missing a _battle_ to _make out?_ Who are you and what have you done with the real Ash?"

Ash blushed and gently nudged Misty with his elbow. "Come on, quit it!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Misty giggled, giving Ash one more kiss on the cheek before getting to her feet. "Guess I should be heading back to my own holding room now. If Zanna realizes I'm missing, she'll probably freak out."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Is she that hard on you? She seems so nice."

"No, she is," Misty confirmed. "She's just always so busy. If one thing is out of place, she notices. Seriously, I wish I had my life together the way she does!"

"I don't know, your life seems pretty together to me," Ash mused. "I'm in it, after all!"

Misty just smirked and dramatically rolled her eyes. "Okay, now I'm _definitely_ going. I've given you room to boost your ego, and that's _never_ a good thing."

As she approached the doorway, preparing to leave, Ash looked over his shoulder with a mischievous smile on his face and called, "good luck!"

Misty stopped, placing her hand on the doorframe. Turning slightly, she returned a soft smile of her own. "Thanks. You too."

* * *

"I don't think I've ever been so nervous for one of Ash's battles before."

Brock looked over at Delia and smiled. The woman indeed had an anxious look on her face, bouncing her knee up and down as her amber eyes shifted around the packed stadium.

"It's funny," Brock commented. "In the Champions League, every battle is more important than the last, but I think this one might actually be the most important of all, even though there could be two more after it."

Delia nodded mindlessly. Brock wasn't sure if she had heard anything he'd said, but he didn't hold it against her. After all, he knew this battle was about more than just Ash, even if she wasn't saying it.

"This should be an interesting battle indeed," Professor Oak mused from Brock's other side. "After all, getting to watch childhood friends battle each other on such a large scale isn't exactly commonplace."

"Or partners…" Delia sighed, finally acknowledging the _actual_ Donphan in the room.

Brock hummed and rubbed his chin. "True. But I think they'll be just fine! They've both been working hard for this moment, after all."

Delia finally smiled herself and nodded more vigorously than she had before. She knew she was probably worrying too much. Both Ash and Misty were very confident and self-assured; it was why they butted heads so much, but also why they were a perfect match for each other. Delia had always held out hope that Ash would realize it. She'd never worried about Misty; she knew of the girl's feelings for her son, even if she never told her outright. And it made Delia very happy. After all, she thought Misty was a beautiful, strong, and intelligent woman; perfect for her dear son. But Ash had always seemed to be blind to love that wasn't meant for his family and friends, and Delia was never quite sure that would ever change.

But on that fateful sunny day, when Ash and Misty had waltzed into her kitchen and Ash had (very awkwardly) announced that they were dating, Delia couldn't help but to shriek with excitement. For a split second, she had thought maybe her son had been replaced with someone else, but him stumbling over his own words and blushing like a tomato had assured her it was really her boy.

It had taken so long for him to get to that point, however, that Delia now feared the battle ahead. The confidence and self-assurance _were_ good things, but maybe not so much when things got competitive between the two. She didn't want this one battle to cause any harm to Ash and Misty's fledgling relationship, for both of their sakes. Neither of them, however, had seemed overly concerned about it.

_"We talked a lot about it,"_ Ash had assured her over dinner the night before. _"That fear was the whole reason she didn't want to take the Elite Four job in the first place. But she was finally able to see it as a good challenge, not one that she should be afraid of. I really respect Misty as a trainer, and I know that she respects me, too. No matter what happens tomorrow, we both care about each other a whole lot. We're going to give it our all, but win or lose, we'll never take it out on one another. Misty and I made that promise, and we mean it!"_

Delia's smile widened as the conversation replayed itself in her head. Ash really _was_ growing up. And it was more wonderful than she could've possibly imagined.

"Like…sorry we're late!"

"Um, we're not late. The battle hasn't even started yet."

"Oh, you're right. Should we leave again until it actually starts? Being early is _so_ not cool."

"No! Would the two of you go sit down?"

Professor Oak, Brock, and Delia all turned their heads towards the stairway beside their seats. Lily was the one who had announced their arrival and had then proceeded to suggest walking out again once Violet had burst her bubble. Daisy had been straggling behind them, arm in arm with Tracey, but quickly caught up with her sisters and scolded them for their behavior. While no one else who was there with Ash said it out loud, they were all silently impressed with how Daisy had seemingly matured and managed to shut down her still unruly sisters.

Clearing her throat, Daisy turned towards the others and showed off a pearly white smile while Violet and Lily slunk into the row behind the already seated trio. "Hi, everyone!"

While Professor Oak and Brock still seemed stunned, Delia was quick to return the woman's grin and greet her, "hello, Daisy! Tracey, Violet, and Lily too. Lovely to see you all!"

"You as well!" Tracey cheerfully returned, following after Violet and Lily while still linked up with Daisy. "Today's battle ought to be a great one, huh?"

"Should be!" Brock agreed with a laugh. "Those two have been training nonstop! At least, that's what they've told me."

"Yeah, they've been doing a lot more than just training," Lily drawled suggestively, smirking at a slightly intimated Brock.

"Unless you mean training their _lips_ ," Violet added, both of them snickering together.

"Ugh," Daisy groaned, reaching over to lightly tug at both of her sisters' hair. "Would you guys quit it?! Ash's mom is sitting _right there!_ "

Delia had, in fact, heard every word out of Violet and Lily's mouths (it was hard not to, in her defense) but she was hardly offended. If anything, it only further proved that Ash was truly becoming a young man. And while many other parents might have blushed at such implications, Delia couldn't help but to be quite proud of her son.

_"Ladies and gentlemen; welcome to today's Champions League battle!"_

Almost as soon as the announcer had begun speaking, the spectators began to cheer wildly. This was already the third battle in the series, of course; they already knew what to expect.

_"Allow me to reintroduce you to our current challenger: the newest Indigo League champion, a native of Pallet Town right here in the Kanto region. He's already won his first two Champions League matches and done so in highly entertaining fashion: please welcome to the field, Ash Ketchum!"_

The audience went crazy as Ash emerged from the tunnel on his side of the arena, excitedly and animatedly waving both of his arms around. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, looking around with sparkling eyes. He was clearly still in awe of the setting, while Ash had gotten used to it relatively quickly.

No one would have ever been able to guess that his stomach had been doing flips just moments earlier.

While the crowd continued to roar following Ash's introduction, Misty tepidly peered out from her own tunnel, watching the stadium in fascination. She didn't have the same kind of experience battling in this environment that Ash did. While she'd had a few exhibition matches as a member of the Elite Four, this was her first real battle in the position; the first that counted, and easily the most important in her _entire life_ , not just in the job.

She remembered sitting up in those same stands during Ash's final battle of the Indigo League, wondering how he could stand it. She thought that surely, if she were in the same position, she'd probably become too anxious to function, let alone concentrate on a high stakes battle. But now, taking in the sights, letting the noise wash over her, it suddenly all made sense. Why Ash was able to thrive in such conditions, why he never let his nerves get the better of him. It was all so different down here than it was up there.

Because now, Misty wasn't anxious at all. In fact, she was _totally_ fired up.

_"And now, his opponent: in her first official match as a member of Kanto's Elite Four, the former Cerulean City gym leader: Misty!"_

She wouldn't have been surprised if the crowd noise leveled off between her and Ash. But what she _hadn't_ been expecting was for the volume to somehow be amplified. The audience seemed to have become even more alive as soon as her name was spoken, and Misty couldn't fight the swell of pride that surged in her chest.

She emerged from the passageway, offering a big smile and enthusiastic wave to the elated crowd. Ash watched on from the opposite end of the battlefield, his own face glowing with excitement and adoration. It made him really happy that Misty was getting such a warm reception; one even better than his own. He knew just how amazing she was, but he thought it was awesome that everyone else seemed to see it too.

As soon as Misty stepped foot in her box, however, she changed her expression to one of sheer determination, and set it straight on Ash. His heart skipped a beat, but he swiftly regained his composure and gave Misty a similar look of his own. Ash could've sworn he saw her slip up for just a split second and give off an air of amusement, but even if she had, she was very quick to cover that up.

The referee took his spot, right between the two trainers, and glanced between them. "This will be a five-on-five battle. The first trainers to successfully knock out the other's Pokémon will be the winner. Substitutions are allowed by both sides. Do you both agree to these rules?"

"Yes," Ash and Misty replied simultaneously.

Nodding, the referee instructed, "release your first Pokémon!"

Whipping out one of his poke balls, Ash threw it in front of him and cried, "Sceptile, I choose you!"

Misty smirked as the forest Pokémon materialized on the battlefield.

_All of a sudden, he wants to play to type advantage? Interesting._

Unphased by such a tactic, Misty retrieved her own poke ball and tossed it up in the air, cheering, "ready, steady, come on out, Gyarados!"

As the atrocious Pokémon appeared and let out a ferocious roar, Ash seemed visibly surprised.

_Misty's sending out her ace already? Interesting._

"Are both trainers ready?" The referee asked.

"Yes," Ash and Misty once again spoke in tandem.

With all of the formalities out of the way, the referee threw his arms up and shouted, "battle begin!"

"Sorry, Mist," Ash called. "Normally I'd let a lady go first, but this is a special case! Sceptile, use leaf storm!"

Misty didn't even flinch as Ash's Pokémon fired off a torrent of leaves. With no urgency behind her voice, Misty calmly ordered, "Gyarados, dodge it."

The water type easily slithered out of the way of the attack, alarming Ash with how quickly it was able to move on dry land. He had watched Gyarados battle a hundred times before this, but more often than not, it was in the water. Ash certainly hadn't been expecting that kind of speed on land.

"You think you're clever, starting off with a grass type," Misty teased, throwing in a playful wink for good measure. "But _I_ think you're forgetting that Gyarados and I are _very_ used to these kinds of match ups; we've got plenty of tricks up our sleeves for dealing with such a disadvantage!"

Ash scowled, slowly starting to become frustrated. "Oh yeah? And what kind of tricks are those?"

Smirking, Misty slashed her arm in front of her and shouted, "Gyarados, let's show them! Use flamethrower!"

Ash froze as Gyarados immediately pulled back, launching a cannon of blazing fire from his mouth directly towards an equally stunned Sceptile.

"D-dodge!" Ash stammered, barely able to shake off his surprise. He had made the order a little too late, however, and although Sceptile had tried his best, he was unable to escape from the blast, leaving him severely burned.

_Okay…_ Ash thought to himself as he watched Sceptile struggle to stand. _I didn't think this battle was gonna be easy, but this is crazy!_

Shaking his head, Ash cried, "Sceptile, try and shake it off!" Looking around his Pokémon, Ash locked eyes with Misty, whose smirk had managed to widen. He scowled, and muttered partially to himself, "we're going to need all the help we can get."

* * *

Ash didn't know whether to cry, to cheer, or to pass out.

So, he just stood there.

Motionless.

Expressionless.

Numb.

The crowd around him was still screaming, but at this point, it just sounded like white noise. The announcer was yelling something over the loudspeaker, but Ash couldn't hear it. His ears wouldn't let him. It wasn't until someone approached him and roughly nudged his shoulder that he moved his head, staring the other person right in the eyes.

"Wh-what just happened?" Ash stammered. "Did…did I just…?"

Misty scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ash. You won. Congratulations!"

He still didn't react. With an amused giggle, Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's shoulders, giving him a tight squeeze. Although he didn't return the embrace, Ash finally managed to look down at her and ask, "are you upset?"

Misty pulled away and shook her head. "We made a promise not to be mad at each other, and I meant it. Besides, how could I possibly be upset when you gave me such a great battle?"

A smile grew on Ash's lips. "Really? You thought it was great?"

Misty quickly nodded her head. "One of our best ever."

Ash's grin widened. "I think so too."

Becoming acutely aware that she was hugging Ash with thousands of people watching them, Misty released him and lowered her arms to her sides, ever so slightly blushing. She had expected Ash to look even worse, but he was clearly still in too much shock from having won the battle to have processed _that_ aspect of the situation.

So, instead, she offered her hand to Ash, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"This is a little more socially acceptable," Misty explained. "To congratulate you on your victory, I mean."

Ash nodded before reaching out to grab Misty's hand and shake it. That managed to get another cheer out of the crowd, causing both Ash and Misty to laugh.

"You know my mom's gonna want to invite you to dinner after this," Ash informed Misty. "I hope that's okay?"

Misty scoffed and smirked at him. "Of course, it's okay. As _if_ I would ever turn down your mom's cooking!"

* * *

While Ash had been expecting a dinner, he hadn't expecting it to be quite so packed and lively as it ended up being. In addition to Misty, Delia had also insisted that Brock, Professor Oak, Tracey, and Misty's sisters come as well.

"You sure you wouldn't turn down my mom's cooking _now?_ " Ash had quipped.

Misty giggled and shook her head. "I know it sounds impossible, but not even my _sisters_ could get me to do that. I'll probably just need to threaten them to behave in front of her. Violet and Lily, at least. Daisy would never act up in front of Tracey."

Ash had thought she'd been joking about that…until he heard her hissing at them on the ride back to Pallet Town.

"I'm serious," she'd warned her two older sisters. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Stupid?!" Violet had repeated with offense. "Who do you think we are?!"

"I know exactly who you both are," Misty droned. "Hence the warning."

Ash chuckled lowly, but Misty had still heard him. "What're you laughing at?"

He eyed her incredulously, but she didn't change her own questioning expression. "You! I kind of thought you were joking about the whole Violet and Lily thing."

"I don't joke," Misty sighed. "Not about them, at least. Seriously, if I don't say anything, they'll be sitting at your mother's table talking about their latest one-night stands. And I respect your mother _way_ too much to let that happen."

"Hey, don't make us sound like a couple of sluts!" Lily bit. "My last guy was actually a weeklong stint."

Misty shook her head. "Not much better."

Despite the back and forth teasing, however, it seemed that Violet and Lily had heeded their sister's request, as both had been very well-behaved during dinner. Sure, they would still talk your ear off if given the chance, but at least they weren't saying anything questionable. And if they started, they were relatively quick to stop themselves, although Misty's glare certainly didn't hurt either. Fortunately, Professor Oak and Tracey in particular were very good at keeping the conversations on track, so neither of those things happened too often.

Once everyone was finished eating, Ash had offered to help clear the table and wash dishes, much to his mother's appreciation. So, he was surprised when he looked up and found none other than _Misty_ helping out as well.

"Mist, you don't have to," Ash kindly offered. "I've got it!"

Misty shrugged. "It's fine, I want to help! Your mom was nice enough to have us all over for dinner, after all. It's the least I could do to thank her."

Ash smiled meekly but otherwise said nothing. The two continued working in comfortable silence for a period of time, until a question sprung up into Ash's head. "Mist?"

"Mmhm?" Misty hummed, not looking up from the plates she'd collected.

"You're definitely not angry about the battle, right?" Ash asked hesitantly. _This_ got Misty to glance back up at him. "I know I already asked you, but…still. I mean, you don't _seem_ like you are, but I want to make sure you're not keeping it a secret or something. Because I want us to be okay. And not like you feel like you have to pretend when you're not actually happy."

Misty smirked. "Losing's never fun; you know that just as well as I do. It's frustrating, for sure! But I would never hold it against you. I meant what I said before; that battle was amazing. I learned so much from it! Just because I'm a member of the Elite Four doesn't mean I can't still make mistakes or pick up new things. Trust me, if I was _really_ upset, you'd know."

"Good," Ash sighed.

"Besides, now I don't have to worry about us battling anymore!" Misty crowed. "I can just focus on coaching you through your last two battles."

"Coaching me?" Ash repeated incredulously. "You didn't coach me through the first three!"

"I know," Misty breathed. "And look how close they were!"

Ash's skeptical stare melted into a look of pure delight, laughing heartily. "Alright, fine, you've got me there. _Maybe_ I'll take you up on your offer."

"Glad to hear it," Misty murmured, watching Ash's eyes sparkle as he stared at her. As often as he'd been doing it lately, it still sent Misty's heart into a frenzy, and she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that gaze.

Inclining her head, Misty's smile softened as she continued, "you know, I've thought about this since I was a kid, but…it's almost like we're Pokémon ourselves."

Ash blinked. "What'd you mean?"

"It might not be as obvious, but I think that we evolve too," Misty mused. "Before all of this, when Agatha first wanted to interview me for this position, I really thought there was no way I'd be able to handle battling you on such a big stage, and for something so important to you. It freaked me out way too much. You know that. But today…it was more fun than I could've ever imagined! The big stadium, the loud crowd, watching you from across the field…I really felt like I was right where I belonged. And all of those fears I had before, I just forgot all about them."

Ash couldn't help but to smile. "Well, I'm not surprised! You're an awesome trainer, Misty! Even if you didn't think so, I always knew you'd be great battling in those kinds of conditions. And you really gave me a run for my money!"

Misty giggled softly. "Thanks…that means a lot."

After carrying his plates over to the sink and placing them inside, Ash turned back towards Misty, his face thoughtful. "So, this whole 'we're like Pokémon who evolve' thing…"

"Yeah?" Misty prodded once Ash trailed off.

"Do you think it ever stops?" Ash continued once he'd apparently managed to gather all his thoughts. "I mean, a Pokémon stops evolving eventually. Maybe it evolves once, or twice, but there's a limit. Do you think it's the same for people?"

Misty grinned as she walked over to Ash, pressing up on her toes to give him a quick kiss before lowering herself and resting her head on his shoulder, gazing up at him with her own glittering eyes.

"No. We're not _exactly_ the same. Our evolutions are a lot more subtle, and I think it happens for the rest of their lives. But we reach milestones, and we make personal strides, and those are the moments where we see for ourselves what a Pokémon can see much more clearly when it evolves: that we're growing, and we're learning, and we're becoming stronger. And I think there's real beauty in that."

Ash blushed lightly as he murmured, "not as beautiful as you, but sure."

Misty scoffed and shook her head. "You know, even though it _still_ blows my mind that you've become quite good at flirting, you're very sweet."

Ash laughed; one that was deep and warm and highly amused. "You said it yourself: I'm still evolving!"

Misty's smile widened. "You are. I am too. And we'll keep evolving. Together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end!
> 
> Thanks to all of you who've come along on this little journey with me. This was a story that I was inspired to write from song lyrics at the end of Pokémon's 22nd movie, and became my major writing project, starting in quarantine and carrying me through all these months later. I truly enjoyed writing it and hope you all enjoyed reading it!


End file.
